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Alberta Mental Health Resources
Alberta Mental Health Help Line 1‑877‑303‑2642 (24/7 helpline for Albertans. Provides confidential support, information, referrals.)
Alberta Addiction Helpline 1‑866‑332‑2322 (For addiction, substance use, or gambling issues)
Distress Line (Edmonton area) (780) 482‑4357 ( 24/7 crisis support, emotional support in Edmonton and area.) (
Distress Centre (Calgary & area) (403) 266‑4357 (Free, 24/7 crisis or distress line in Calgary & surrounding area.)
Distress Line of South Western Alberta (403) 327‑7905 (Crisis / emotional support in southwestern parts of the province.)
Rural Distress Line 1‑800‑232‑7288 (Helpline serving more rural regions of Alberta.)
First Nations & Inuit Hope for Wellness Help Line 1‑855‑242‑3310 (National / Indigenous‑focused line, phone & online chat. Available to Indigenous peoples.)
Canada Suicide Crisis Helpline (national number) 9‑8‑8 (call or text) (For anyone thinking of suicide or worried about someone else. Available across Alberta.)
Kids Help Phone 1‑800‑668‑6868 (or text “CONNECT” to 686868) (For youth and children; confidential support via phone, text, live chat)
211 Alberta 2‑1‑1 (Community & social service referrals, including mental health supports; free, confidential, multilingual.)
Health Link Alberta 8‑1‑1 (General health advice/information; via phone, including mental health / addiction pathways.)
Indigenous Support Line (AHS Central Zone) 1‑844‑944‑4744 (Helps Indigenous people navigate the health system, ask questions, get culturally appropriate care.)
Family Violence Information Line 310‑1818 (Support when dealing with family violence; helps get to safety, find supports etc.)
You Are Not Alone — It’s Okay to Ask for Help.
Sometimes life feels unbearably heavy. If you’re struggling — whether it's anxiety, depression, feeling alone, or thinking about hurting yourself — you deserve compassion, understanding, and support. You have a right to feel heard and helped. Reaching out is a strong, brave thing to do; it can be the first step toward healing. There are people and services in Alberta ready to walk with you, listen without judgment, and help you carry the load. If things are too much, please use one of the helplines, or talk to someone you trust. You do matter, and help is out there.
I understand what it's like to feel hopeless, lost, and ready to give up - to feel like there's nothing left for you and no reason to keep going, like no one would notice if you disappeared. But sometimes, when you can't find those reasons yourself, it helps to have someone else remind you they're still there. So here are 20 reasons to stay alive:
1. You haven't met all the people who are going to love you yet. (I know it feels like no one loves or cares about you, but I promise there are)
2. There's music you haven't heard yet that could speak to your soul.
3. There are books and movies that will make you feel understood - that will remind you that you aren't alone.
4. Yes, there are nights when the tears wont stop, when you feel like everything is falling apart and there's nothing left, but there are also the nights filled with uncontrollable laughter, when your stomach hurts from smiling so much - and those are the nights to hold onto, those are the ones worth staying for.
5. There are still parts of yourself you haven't discovered yet.
6. Because your thoughts right now aren't facts - they're symptoms.
7. Because one day you will experience something so amazing, you'll think to yourself "this is why I stayed."
8. Because there are people you haven't met yet who will feel seen and safe with you.
9. Because someone, one day, will need to hear your survival story to make it through their own.
10. because grief and trauma may shape you, but they don't define you.
11. Because even in your darkness, you have value.
12. Because there is no one else on earth like you, and that is your super power.
13. Because the world is not better off without you, you have a purpose and everything will be okay in the end, if its not okay, its not the end.
14. Because one day you'll go to sleep and you wont be begging not to wake up - In fact you'll wake up happy and excited (no matter how you're feeling right now.)
15. Because you didn't make it this far only to make it this far.
16. Because this feeling is only temporary.
17. Because the whole point of life is to have fun.
18. Because even on your worst nights, you've made it to the morning.
19. Because people can change and that includes you.
20. Because your life still holds potential, even when you cant see it.
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