Mental Health
It’s okay to not be okay. With 1 in 3 Canadians experiencing a form of mental health illness at least once in their lifetime (including feelings of overwhelming stress and anxiety), you are not alone. To help Canadians build and sustain positive mental health, the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) has outlined a few tips:
- Eat right and get active – fueling your body will high quality foods, vitamins, and minerals helps with brain function and the avoidance of those dreaded energy slumps. Regular physical activity creates new brain activity pathways and releases endorphins, a feel-good neurotransmitter!
- Finding strength in numbers – reach out to friends, family members, and colleagues to build strong, meaningful and supportive networks. Sharing experiences and finding solutions together, or spending time doing an activity you enjoy boosts feelings of purpose and self-esteem.
- Identifying and expressing our feelings – acknowledging our feelings and dealing with them constructively help us to manage them. For example, if you are feeling angry, you can talk with a friend or supervisor, go for a walk to “let off some steam” or write down your feelings in a notebook.
- Finding things that make you happy – it’s important to have things that boost your mood and create positive experiences. No matter what that is, search it out and do it! Some examples include cooking, meditating, going to the theatre, completing crossword puzzles, painting, or volunteering.
