It’s upsetting to see a friend or family member struggle with a physical illness or injury, but at least you know how to help. But when someone you care about is struggling with a mental illness, you can feel both confused and powerless because you don’t understand their condition and have no idea what to do. Yet for the mentally ill, a supportive network of friends and family members is essential.
The more you know about what makes you tick, the better you are at making decisions that are right for you. Self-awareness helps you understand why you do the things you do and that makes it easier for you to make changes and create a more fulfilling life. Having a clear picture of your personality, beliefs, motivations and emotions also allows you to understand other people and how they perceive you.
With the growing awareness of how social media can impact the spreading of discrimination and harassment, and the complexities of what today’s youth face, we are seeing increased attention and focus on student mental health.
We all know that regular physical activity and a healthy diet help us control our weight, better manage stress and prevent certain chronic diseases. They also help keep our bones and joints healthy, our muscles strong, our energy levels high and our minds running at peak capacity. So why do so many of us find it difficult to do the two things that can prolong our lives?
Not all stress is bad for us. Some stress is good—it helps our minds focus and our senses sharpen. However, continual high levels of stress have the opposite effect, actually interfering with our ability to function and taking a toll on our health. Therefore, it’s important to find healthy ways to cope with stress.
Good mental and emotional health helps us find our balance and stay in control, even during turbulent times. Here are some different options for you to practice mental/emotional fitness.
The World Health Organization estimates that there are approximately 650 million people in the world living with disabilities of various types.1 Disability affects people in all kinds of ways.
What health coverage will you need in retirement?
As the cost of providing group benefits increases, fewer employers are providing retiree health benefits. However, many people heading towards retirement are unsure of what financial burden they may face when they're no longer covered by their employer-sponsored benefits plan.
The holidays are a wonderful time of year, but it can also be a time when we feel the most pressured. There are expectations about family get-togethers; obligations about where you need to spend your time; and concerns about spending too much money.
In recent years, open conversations about mental health have shed light on an important issue facing people of all ages and from all walks of life. In fact, according to the Canadian Institute of Health Research, one in five Canadians will experience some form of mental illness at some point in their life. Yet despite advances in research and a heightened awareness, there are people who remain silent about their struggles and hesitate to get the help they need.
We’ll all experience great highs and great lows during our lives. And while the great highs are exhilarating, the great lows can knock us to our knees. Some people seem to have difficulty dealing with adversity, while others get up, dust themselves off and carry on. These are people who have more of what psychologists call ‘resilience’.
Improve your life by improving what you eat. Healthy eating is one of the most important things you can do to improve your general health. If you’ve been promising yourself that you will start to eat healthier and get your family to eat healthier, but have been putting it off not knowing where to start, here are some tips.
Few things have a greater impact on one’s life than their mental health. With at least 1 in 5 Canadians experiencing a mental health disorder in their lifetime according to a 2015 study by the Mental Health Commission of Canada,1 there’s a vast spectrum of possible mental health challenges affecting just as broad a spectrum of people. Yet there remains a commonality: mental health impacts how you feel and function in some of the most significant areas of your life.
Any change, whether it’s positive or negative, can be stressful. A positive change, such as the birth of a child, can leave us feeling excited, yet scared and overwhelmed. A negative change like a divorce or job loss can make us feel depressed, anxious and confused. Why is change, even change that is beneficial, so stressful? It’s because it involves the unknown, and the unknown can be frightening.
Sometimes we need help and we aren’t sure where to turn. Who should I talk to? Where do I go to get help? How does counselling work? You are not alone. There are answers and people who can help. Here are a few frequently asked questions that will help guide you where to start.
Even if you absolutely love what you do, at times the pace of work can become overwhelming and exhausting.
One in three Canadians say work stress is getting them down.1 Can you relate? If so, there are ways to deal with the causes of stress and develop proactive strategies to help you reduce your stress and anxiety levels. Of course, not all stress is bad stress.
Does it feel like the days you bounced out of bed ready to face life’s challenges are gone? You used to juggle family, career, and social responsibilities with ease. You did it all. Now you’re just trying to get through the day. You’re burned out.
The burden of mental illness and addiction is 1.5 times that of all cancers, and more than seven times the cost of all infectious diseases. No matter what our age, cultural background or income bracket, at least one in five of us will experience a mental illness in our lifetime. If mental illness is so prevalent, then why do so many people suffer in silence? It’s time to start talking.
Everybody goes through ups and downs in their lives, but normal life experiences shouldn’t be confused with the serious mental disorder known as Depression. One of the most common mood disorders, depression can have serious and lasting implications on an individual's mental and physical health. (e.g. increased aches and pains, chronic fatigue, heart disease, etc.).
When we feel safe, secure and well connected to our families and people within our communities, we develop a sense of belonging and an understanding of who we are. These attributes allow us to have confidence in our actions and enable us to live our lives in ways that are satisfying and meaningful. In short, we create a baseline for what good mental health feels like.
For someone in recovery, the memories and celebrations attached to the season can be particularly challenging as they often include tempting environments and social scenarios that may create conditions that increase the risk of relapse.
Work-life balance is an individual measurement and may vary daily, monthly, and over extended periods of time. The right balance will differ as your lifestyle changes.
Anxiety, regardless of a person’s psychological or biological makeup, is highly common. Although it can be triggered by a specific event, such as a trauma or stressful situation, anxiety can also present as a consistent theme in a person’s life, creating challenges in daily activities or interactions.
Approximately three million Canadians have an anxiety disorder and approximately one in four will suffer from an anxiety disorder in their lifetime. Recognized as one of the most common types of mental health disorders in Canada, anxiety disorders have a major impact on the lives of those affected. Having a better understanding of what anxiety disorders are, how they manifest, and techniques that can be used to manage anxiety, can help us support ourselves and others in minimizing anxiety symptoms.
With evolving demands, challenges faced in our everyday lives, and with recent global disruptions, including isolation and quarantine measures, self-care has received increased profile and attention. Most people realize that it’s a big part of living well. But have you ever thought about what good self-care looks like? If you look beyond rewarding and treating yourself, you can explore a more profound purpose that could be life-changing.
Quality sleep – the kind that makes you look refreshed and feeling energized – is exactly what the doctor ordered. In fact, sleep is as important to your health as diet, nutrition and exercise. The right amount and quality of sleep improves attention, behaviour, memory, and overall mental and physical health (1); it also helps the body maintain and regulate many vital functions.
