I recently described the lifestyle of a typical DGC BC Member when starting a job as follows: They essentially take their personal life (family, finances, health, all of it), push it to the back burner, tilt the lid and hope it doesn't boil over and burn the house down. 

Following that description it hit me that, as an organization, we're often called upon to assist only after the fire crew has left the smoldering ashes. In this message I'd like to remind each of you that there's quite a lot of help to be had via the DGC BC that may just allow you to avoid the fire altogether.

We know that this new normal of prolific content creation, increasing budgets and expectations, and diminishing gaps between projects, while definitely great for the bank account, is not so great for our personal health and wellbeing. The past few overwhelmingly successful years have given rise to a significant increase in substance abuse and addiction issues, mental health concerns such as anxiety and depression, as well as people experiencing overwhelm and/or burnout.

While the DGC BC is very pleased to offer a wide variety of programs and services aimed at assisting our Members who find themselves in crisis, the best case scenario is for people to get the help they need before things get serious and before they put their career at risk. To that end, I'd like to urge each of you to please consider the following resources as part of your personal wellness plan. This would be a plan that's aimed at supporting you to make mindful choices around all the many areas of your life that you're inclined to "back burner" while you're working as well as dealing with the inevitable curveballs that life is bound to throw your way.