SLUSH battles resort town mental meltdown

By Sandy Powell

A initiative aiming to encourage young people to talk about mental health issues has started in Revelstoke. With a strong emphasis on people living the mountain lifestyle, SLUSH has been started by 23-year-old Australian Lydia Syme.

SLUSH stands for Speak Up, Listen, Understand, Solution, Hug. Lydia said there is a great need for destigmatising mental health issues in mountain towns. She said that despite its idyllic appearance, young people leading seasonal lives in the mountains are at a high risk of developing significant mental health issues.

Dealing with the stresses of relationships, finances and work can be a surprisingly tough burden to carry when often the only available work is minimum wage seasonal jobs and your new best friends leave town only a few months after you’ve met them, Lydia said.

“Ski bums have a lack of deep social connections,” she said. “Sometimes I look around a room and I think no one in this room has known me longer than four months.”

Lydia hopes that through SLUSH she can help adventurous young people open up about their mental health.

“Even just talking about it once, with another person, can help. If you notice someone’s behaviour change, reach out to them.”

SLUSH will be hosting a free mental health event on the 21st of each month throughout the winter, as well as a Green Ski Day for mental health later in the season.

For more information search for SLUSH on Facebook or visit the website.

This article was first published in the January issue of the free Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine.