May is the month when Canada celebrates Mental Health Week. Each year, the Canadian Mental Health Association brings national awareness to mental health, mental illness, and wellness.
Mental health includes our psychological, emotional, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, behave, make decisions, deal with stress, and relate to others. Mental health professionals tell us that everyone has mental health, and we will all experience challenges regarding our mental well-being, but not everyone will experience a mental illness.
Improving Mental Health
Your mental health is affected by every facet of your life; your work/career, interpersonal relationships, work/life balance, self-image, etc. Health care professionals believe that mental well-being can affect people in different ways. They also believe that the more we learn about mental health and mental illness, the better equipped we are to maintain and improve mental health for ourselves and others.
We can all work on maintaining and improving our own mental health and wellness. We can start by maintaining a healthy work/life balance. This may mean, that you need to make some changes at your current employment or find a new job if necessary. Do your research, find employers/companies that share your values including work/like balance, psychological safety, financial benefits, empowerment, and team culture. You may have already heard, “Teamwork makes the dream work.” Being part of a team also improves workplace occupational health and safety by:
In honour of CMHA Mental Health Week (May 1-7, 2023) we are encouraged to tell our stories to support mental health and reduce stigma. The CMHA has 70 local branches/regions in over 330 communities across Canada. The association provides a wide range of assistance in the provinces and territories. If you, or a loved one, or a friend might be experiencing mental health challenges, please know that you are not alone. You can find help and support at your local Canadian Mental Health Association. Find your local CMHA here.
More support can be found here by visiting Wellness Together Canada.
You can learn how to anticipate stress and crisis by taking two online courses Self-Care and Caring for Others offered by the Canadian Red Cross for $20 each.
By Gabriela Mancas, Occupational Health, and Safety Consultant