​What is mental health anyway? Well, mental health is something that we all have, just like physical health. Some days it may be better than others, some days it may be challenging… just like physical health.

We all struggle with complicated feelings and emotions, conflicts, hurt, and pain. Learning how to take breaks to self-soothe is learning how to meet ourselves where we are at when going through tough stuff to move forward. Self-soothing helps us to have a better relationship with ourselves. Self-soothing helps the body to reset, particularly in response to acute stress. Instead of reaching for a drink, cigarette, etc. Self-soothe with healthier options, options that serve you better.

Nobody is perfect.  Everyone is flawed.  Everyone makes mistakes. Your desire to be perfect may be hurting you more than it is helping you.  Accepting your flaws is self-compassionate.

What is one thing that long lasting healthy relationships have in common? They make the time to build rituals of emotional connection within their relationship.  A ritual is a regular behaviour that preserves and honours things that are important to people.  What can be more important than hounouring yourself and the relationship that you have with another person?  Building rituals of emotional connection help couples turn towards one another, builds trust, increases closeness and intimacy, and improves friendships. Rituals of emotional connection can come in many forms from daily rituals to traditions, etc.

There are many ways to create rituals for emotional connection within your relationship:

​Whether you’ve made a New Year’s Resolution to focus on your wellbeing, or simply feel like now is the right time, you may be contemplating speaking with a therapist. You might have come to this decision easily, or maybe it’s something you have contemplated for a long time. Whatever the reason, sometimes the jump from deciding to speak to someone to scheduling your first appointment can be daunting. You may ask yourself: what is the therapist going to ask me to do? How much should I share about myself? How can I trust a total stranger? What if they judge me? 

​With the spooky season upon us, you may be wondering why a mental health article is talking about witchcraft, more specifically, the kind of modern-day witchcraft that I have personally seen and learned about.

Here are some helpful tips and tricks to journaling. 

​When I used to hear “emotional manipulation,” I’d usually think of a five-letter word that I despise - abuse. Four years later – I now think of myself.

For some the opportunity to work from home has been a glorious and welcomed change, while for others this change has been difficult and the wait to return to “normal” cannot come fast enough. While there are many work environments and workplace needs, there are some things that can help make the “new normal” more manageable.
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Where possible, things to consider when working from home:

Pandemic Fatigue is not just tiredness or exhaustion. It’s feeling demotivated and depleted about following recommended guidelines to protect yourself and others from the virus.

Now it is more important than ever to engage in self-care!  During a pandemic it is necessary to care for yourself, before you can help others.  Getting back to the basics is important.

One main Canadian stereotype is people saying sorry all of the time.
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It may even become annoying; saying or hearing the word “sorry” so often. Most people say it to be polite, but others do it because of personal issues from their past, perhaps a past that makes them feel they have to please everyone all the time and avoid conflict at all costs. These people tend to take the blame for everything as a way of keeping the peace. 

​It is well known that trauma can impact a person mentally and emotionally. However, what is less talked about is the physical impact trauma can have. Trauma can manifest itself in our body and can even be triggered by touch.

​By: Kelly Halonen, MSW, RSW

​You often see it in movies, the main character is going through a breakup and listens to sad music as they cry into a pillow on their couch. You probably do this too. Whenever you’re feeling sad or down about something, you may listen to music that is also sad or slow. So why do we do this? Wouldn’t this just make us sadder? Yes and no. 

​Like many other women out there, I have a love-hate relationship with my body. Sometimes I love it, but the majority of the time there is something I want to change about it. Even though we logically know that the expectations society puts on us are unrealistic, we still feel the need to try and live up to them. 

​The mental weight of body shaming can be heavy.

By: Cassandra Nordal, PR & Marketing Coordinator

​In order to train yourself to become healthier mentally it is not about setting one goal for yourself to accomplish in January.  Instead, train yourself by making a genuine commitment towards self-improvement. 

​Our mental health and our physical health both affect each other. When one of them is doing poorly, the other can also begin to deteriorate. When we are sick it is important to take care of ourselves not only physically, but mentally as well. ​

​Have you ever tried boxing? I have found that it is a great way to get exercise and benefit my mental health. You can practice with a partner or do it on your own using a punching bag or just punching the air. Boxing can be great for any skill level.

I love talking about mental wellness!

By definition Mental Wellness is the awareness of one’s own ability to cope with stressors of day-to-day life while maintaining the ability to function effectively while socializing, working, learning and taking care of your personal health and hygiene.

Linda Kelly, MSW, RSW, CEO, Psychotherapist

​Are you tired of being told to be sensitive? Are you resonating with the #tiredofgenerationsnowflake trend? You might be suffering from social media overkill.
 
So take a break. Chill.

By: Cassandra Nordal

​Returning to work after a lay off or leave in general, is difficult. You add a pandemic onto that and well, how do we begin to function properly?

​I have now heard this account from several people, and am one of these people myself. Despite the ongoing trauma, state of chaos and challenges around this pandemic, there are some people who are relieved by the break from normalcy, and in fact maybe really needed the break. If this sounds familiar: don’t worry, you are not alone, nor is there anything wrong with how you’re feeling. 

By: Kelly Graham, MSW, RSW

​If you’re anything like me, you love sleeping in and hate waking up early for anything. While this lifestyle was alright in my teenage years, the older I got, the more I wanted to wake up and be productive in the morning. While this is much easier said than done, here are some tips that can help you learn to rise with the birds and get stuff done.