Mental Health Week

Just like our physical health, we need to care for and protect our mental health. Mental health is not just the absence of mental illness, it is a state of well-being that we can all improve with the right tools! For this 68th Annual Mental Health Week, we encourage you to try some of these wellness strategies suggested by the Canadian Mental Health Association:

1. Start your day fresh: Start your day with a breath of fresh air. Once outside, take a deep breath! Repeat at lunchtime and when you get home.
2. Focus on the positive: before you go to bed, write down 3 things that went well today and what you did to contribute to them. Gratitude can improve your mental well-being.
3. Make a difference: How would you like to contribute to your community? Do you volunteer? Check in regularly with your neighbor who lives alone. Are you involved in an organization that works for a cause that is important to you? Write down one thing you could do today that will make a difference tomorrow.
4. Get moving: go play at the park with your kids or bring a Frisbee and gather your friends. Being physically active and connecting with others has enormous benefits for overall health, including mental health.
5. Do what you love: spend ONE hour today doing what YOU love... How does it feel? Taking the time to renew your energy with what you love allows you to feel great in all other areas of your life.
6. Pick up the phone: pick up the phone, you say? Yes, to stay present, you need to disconnect. Turn off all electronic devices for ONE hour (cell phone, TV, tablet, computer, video games). Immerse yourself in an activity: read a book, write in your journal, play a board game, visit a friend. Enjoy these moments without interruption.

Have you tried them all?
Here is the complete list of strategies: https://mentalhealthweek.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/16-stratégies-pour-vous-épanouir_FINAL.pdf

Mental health is a state of well-being, and we all have one. Whether we have a mental illness or not, we can all feel good.

• One in five people in Canada suffers from mental health problems, mental illness or addictions. But the reality is that five out of five of us have mental health, just as we all have physical health.
• We can all celebrate, promote and recognize the role that mental health plays in a fulfilling and rewarding life.

For information and tools about CMHA Mental Health Week, visit www.semainedelasantementale.ca.