Sophie Grégoire Trudeau has three children, including two teenagers. Her husband is the target of increasingly frequent threats and the Prime Minister even had stones thrown at his head during the last election campaign. His family had to temporarily relocate during the height of the occupation of downtown Ottawa last year. When she was younger, she suffered from eating disorders and anxiety. Taking care of her mental health, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau knows something about it.
The Prime Minister’s wife has made it one of her biggest causes. She talks about it on all platforms, at every opportunity. His Instagram page regularly features conversations on the subject with different public figures.
“Me, when I decided to tell my story 20 years ago, it changed my life. And it changes her again, each time I share a part of my story, ”insisted Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, in an interview with The duty this week on the occasion of National Mental Health Week which ends this Sunday. “This vulnerability is what I have learned the most from in my entire life. »
The theme for Mental Health Awareness Week this year—“My Story”—was therefore a perfect match for the spokesperson. Because it was by speaking publicly about her own mental health, 20 years ago, that Sophie Grégoire Trudeau claims to have “really started a real healing path”.
A journey that even led her to write a book on the subject, to be published next year, she reveals to the Duty a few weeks before the release date is officially announced. She tells her story there, of course. But she also talks to experts, to try to understand what makes brains that are all identical, at the neurological level, nevertheless differ from one person to another. “You can compare the brain to a hard disk. And then there’s the programming of that brain, which stems from our life experiences,” she explains.
“If we start at a young age to raise awareness and educate human beings as to why they have their own way of acting and reacting, to better understand their emotions, we would have different individuals on the planet and we would would have different leaders,” says Sophie Grégoire Trudeau. “And I think we would have a very good chance, as humans, of saving ourselves and the planet at the same time. »
This education and awareness effort, the mother of the family also does with her three children. “All five of us are very, very tightly knit. We keep the conversation open, deep, difficult. But I think there’s no other way to keep the authenticity in the middle of it all. With all the ups and downs one can experience, like everyone in their own family. »
Protecting health for all
The politician’s wife is reluctant to confide in the weight that the social climate of recent years has had on her. “I have great sensitivity and compassion for families who are in the public eye in general. I better understand the lot of opportunities, but also… unique challenges,” she says, taking care to weigh her words since she also recognizes that she lives a privileged life.
The political landscape has changed, however, she also notes. “On social media, whether it’s young people, public figures, some members of parliament I know, women who are constantly being bullied, it’s absolutely something to take seriously. She evokes the polarization of society, the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence. And insists that to face it we must come together, offer empathy.
Despite everything, she says she is optimistic for the future. “In 20 years, I have seen the discourse evolve. At the time, hardly anyone spoke publicly about eating disorders or other mental health issues. “The good news is that the level of awareness and knowledge has increased. There is still stigma, but the efforts are redoubled to try to crumble it, to try to make it crumble a little bit. »
I have great sensitivity and great compassion for families who are in the public eye in general. I understand better the lot of opportunities, but also of… unique challenges.
This hope, she also lives it as a mother. “Of course I have concerns. I have three children. But when you lose faith in life, in the goodness of people, I think darkness sets in. And I will always refuse to give it more space than it deserves. »
This cause that is so close to her heart, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau will continue to support it. Because although one in five people in Canada has been diagnosed with a mental disorder, mental health is everyone’s business. “You, me, everyone has sanity. It concerns all of us. It’s not a cause, it’s a reality that we carry within ourselves, ”she insists, behind the camera of her computer, as she regularly settles down to preach her message on a daily basis.