Mental illness is something that I believed would never happen to me or anyone in my family. Life is good here in Canada, I have everything that I could possibly need. Why am I feeling this sadness? My emotions are getting hard to control. Is there something wrong with a chemical imbalance in my brain? Can I share this problem with my friends and family? Wait no I don’t want to bother them with my problems, I am afraid, they might think there is something wrong with me. Let me try to sleep on it and see if tomorrow brings a better day.

Unfortunately, this can happen to the best of us, Anyone can develop a mental illness. Mental illnesses affect people of all ages, education levels, income levels, and cultures. Mental health conditions are disturbances in a person’s thinking, feeling, or behavior (or a combination of these) that reflect a problem in mental function. They cause distress or disability in social, work, or family activities.

There are many Canadians, estimated at one in five in any given year, personally experience a mental health problem or illness. About 8 percent of adults will experience major depression at some time in their lives requiring professional care. Mental Illness is one of Canada’s leading public health problems.

Today we are dealing with something new and unforeseen the COVID-19 pandemic. It is hard enough dealing with a single life event change such as changing jobs, buying a new house, dealing with separation but now we are dealing with a pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting our social lives, mental health, sleep patterns, and more. This pandemic has likely brought many changes to how you live your life and with it uncertainty, altered daily routines, financial pressures, and social isolation. You may worry about getting sick, how long the pandemic will last, whether you’ll lose your job, and what the future will bring. Information overload, rumours, and misinformation can make your life feel out of control and make it unclear what to do. Significant levels of distress. changes in thinking, mood or behaviour, lack of activities, feelings of isolation, loneliness, and sadness.

A new poll shows an overwhelming majority of Ontarians (84 percent) remain concerned about the possibility of an additional wave of COVID-19, primarily driven by the worry of other people not following the proper distancing rules as businesses and schools closing. Financial struggles are one of the top stressors that negatively impact people’s mental health across Canada.

Worries and anxiety about COVID-19 and its impact can be overwhelming. You may experience stress, anxiety, fear, sadness, and loneliness. And mental health disorders, including anxiety and depression, can worsen. It is important to learn self-care strategies and get the care you need to help you cope.

Take care of your body:
Be mindful about your physical health, take a break, and relax your body with a massage, meet up with your nutritionist and create a healthy diet.

Take care of your mind:
Reduce stress triggers, learn to live in the present moment, meditate.

Connect with others:
Build support and strengthen relationships, start a new hobby join a group of like-minded people, friends, and family fun activities

Get help when you need it:
Hoping mental health problems such as anxiety or depression will go away on their own can lead to worsening symptoms. If you have concerns or if you experience worsening of mental health symptoms, ask for help when you need it, and be upfront about how you’re doing. speak to a professional psychotherapist to clear your mind and plan a better tomorrow.

You are not alone. Speak up and get help from your close ones, if you can’t, contact 24/7 Mental Health Crisis Line. 613-722-6914 / 1-866-996-0991 or book an appointment with one of our psychotherapists at PUREHolistic.

There is always a tomorrow, change your perspective, take care of yourself, and live your life to the fullest.

Take care,

Kamy