Jan. 22 marks Bell Let’s Talk Day, and Regina will be hearing from one of Saskatchewan’s big names about his mental health journey.
“I was clinically diagnosed with a mood disorder, about three and a half years ago and so I didn’t really know exactly what was going on,” explained Ty Hunter, of Hunter Brothers fame.
“There were certain signs of it from growing up, but just didn’t really understand aspects of emotionally how I would deal with things.”
Hunter shared that the diagnosis was followed by a severe decline in his mental health. In the past three years, he says he’s learned a lot about himself and how to navigate that diagnosis.
“I think that it was something that I realized, like, I’ve been diagnosed by a psychiatrist. Now, I’ve been given these tools to speak, to figure out how this is going to look now, and then you have to put the work in and figure out what truthfully works for you and the support system that’s around you,” Hunter said.
On Wednesday evening, the Juno nominee will be speaking and performing at the More Joy Event, hosted at the Conexus Arts Centre.
Hunter described it as something totally different to anything he’s done before.
“I think it’s one of those things that’s very needed in today’s day and age, because I know that everybody goes through their own sets of circumstances,” he said. “So, she asked me to share my story, and I said, yes.”
“It’s probably going to be the most vulnerable thing that I’ve ever participated in. But here we are,” he added.
Hunter has spent his life in two careers, which can be particularly stressful. Growing up, the family farm in Shaunavon was a team effort, and eventually Hunter and his brothers broke into the music industry.
“Truthfully, if we’re talking about mental health, I just found those things to be just quite a bit all at one time,” he explained. “You know, farming is not my number one passion in the world, music has always been my dream. So, I think that truthfully, it just did hit a point where we went: ‘Okay, we need to have, you know, time needs to be more active ... those two jobs are both wildly unpredictable and, you never know what’s going to be happening.’”
Hunter cited the support of his wife and three children as something which greatly helped him in difficult times.
Additionally, he described his music as ‘a lifeline’ whether that be composing pieces in his band or teaching one of his students.
While music might not be for everyone, the artist went on to say that leaning into personal creative interest can be beneficial when trying to manage mental health struggles.
“It’s been ultimately a space that we’ve been able to share and see that this is such a constructive piece, because it’s part of who we all are. Music is just one of those things that you can’t define because it’s bigger. It’s bigger than us,” he said.
“I think that being able to participate in that creative journey and truthfully, for anybody, it’s like try and find a creative hobby.”
Hunter went on to say that everybody has the ability to be creative.
“Even if you’re a very black and white thinker, there’s ways to be creative in some capacity,” he said.
“I think that music is just a great outlet, whether you’re listening to it, whether you’re writing it, whether you’re recording it, whether you’re performing it, it’s part of all of our lives.”
While Hunter plans to share more details of his experience, and coping tools he found beneficial, he did share some advice for anyone beginning their mental health journey.
“I think one of the things is really finding a couple people that you can be fully transparent with, vulnerable, I’ll say, because I think you can be honest with everybody, I think being completely vulnerable with everybody can be quite exhausting,” he explained.
“So, I think finding a few people that are in your corner and are safe places to help you move forward in your journey and help you access and discover and find and pursue resources.”
The musician added that the process of finding the right help for each person can take some trial and error, so being patient and leaning on loved ones for support is something to keep in mind.
“There actually are a lot of resources out there ... but it may take some time or some pursuit to get to them – so it’s far better to do that together, than by yourself,” he said.
“So, I think that’s probably one of my biggest things is just saying, like, there is help. There is help, you’re loved and find a couple people, who are going to allow you to, to feel 100 per cent safe in your journey.”
