CMHA Kelowna

Supporting a Mentally Healthy Kelowna

  • Mental Health
    • Find Help Now
    • Learn About Mental Illnesses
    • Explore Your Mental Health
    • Talking to Teens About Mental Health
    • Supporting a Friend or Family Member
    • Workplace Mental Health
    • Preventing Suicide
  • Programs & Services
    • Youth & Families
      • Foundry Kelowna
      • Foundry Kelowna’s Wellness on Wheels
      • Youth Housing & Services
    • Housing
      • CMHA Kelowna Housing
      • Youth Housing & Services
      • Central Okanagan Rent Bank
      • Rent Supplements
      • Case Management
      • Homelessness Outreach Navigator
      • Scattered Sites Program
    • Wellness
    • Virtual Counselling Services
  • Community Education
    • Blog Post
  • Ways to Get Involved
    • Donate
    • Events & Activities Calendar
    • Host, Sponsor or Support an Event
    • Volunteer
    • All Careers
  • Discovery College
  • About Us

Bell Let’s Talk Day 2023

January 25, 2023 By Jessica Samuels Leave a Comment

We are joining in and committing to take meaningful action to create positive change.

Since 2011, Canadians and people around the globe have joined in the world’s largest conversation around mental health on Bell Let’s Talk Day. Together we have taken big steps to reduce the stigma around mental health issues, inspire one another to take action, and help create a Canada where everyone can access the mental health support they need. But it is clear more needs to be done.

Let’s change this. Take action on Bell Let’s Talk Day and all year long!

This year’s Bell Let’s Talk Day campaign highlights ways we can all create meaningful change and take action by doing one or more of the following:

  • Choose a mental health organization to learn about or support
  • Help a friend struggling with their mental health by learning how to support them
  • Ask about how your school, workplace or community is creating change for mental health
  • Nurture your own well-being by practicing and learning mental health strategies
  • Get involved in a mental health initiative or organize an event to support mental health
  • Engage in conversations about mental health to fight stigma

Share your actions using #BellLetsTalk and help inspire others to join the movement to create positive change.

We are proud to come together, take action, and help create change for mental health in Canada so that Canadians can access the mental health and addiction supports they need to flourish. You can find resources, learn more about some of the organizations providing mental health supports and services throughout Canada and download the Bell Let’s Talk toolkit to begin your own conversation about mental health and create positive change at home, school or in the workplace.

Please join us this Bell Let’s Talk Day by showing your support for all those who live with mental illness and those taking action to help them.

Filed Under: News

The mood-boosting benefits of getting active

January 9, 2023 By Jessica Samuels Leave a Comment

As the winter days get shorter, darker and colder, many of us have less energy and a lower mood. In fact, the third Monday in January, also known as “Blue Monday”, is commonly thought of as the saddest day of the year due to stressors like post-holiday blues, weight gain, chilly and dark days, failure to stick to New Year’s resolutions and the arrival of holiday bills. Although there might not be much science behind Blue Monday, “the winter blues” are all too real for many of us.

There’s a key difference between being in a bit of a funk during the winter (“the winter blues”) and living with a clinical condition called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). SAD impacts a small percentage of Canada’s population: about 2-3% of people living in Canada may be affected by serious depression symptoms characterized as SAD, showing clinical depression associated with the season. The winter blues, on the other hand, affects more people: about 15% of people living in Canada experience milder symptoms of sadness or unhappiness related to the dark, cold weather.

How physical activity benefits mood & mental health

Fortunately, there’s an easy way to lift your spirits that’s within everyone’s grasp: just get moving! When you exercise, your body releases endorphins and feel-good chemicals that reduce feelings of pain and increase feelings of pleasure, literally boosting your mood.

We get it, going outside for a walk in -20 C might not be the most appealing option in the world. But you don’t need to jog or hike in freezing weather to get all the great benefits of being active! Just 15 minutes of moderate exercise like dancing, yoga, chores around the house or just doing some jumping jacks or pushups can provide a mood-enhancing effect. But if you can, do try to bundle up and get active outdoors. Recent studies show that people report more vitality, enthusiasm and pleasure after having walked outside.

On top of all that, physical activity can help you cope with stress, reduce anxiety and depression, help you think better, increase self-esteem, and can play a role in the prevention of mental health issues. This makes getting active an essential part of our mental health tool kits!

Move for your mood today!

Want to combat the winter blues but don’t know where to start? We’ve got you covered! We’ve partnered with the YMCA to bring you the perfect videos to get you moving for your mood, no matter where you are in your physical activity journey. Download the free ParticipACTION app to join the team as they lead you through safe, effective and fun low-intensity exercises with variations for all abilities. The app also has a range of other videos, exercise tips and challenges to make getting active as easy and fun as possible!

*Lifestyle changes aren’t always enough to beat the winter blues or SAD, and you can always reach out for supports and services:

Crisis Services Canada (24/7)
Call 1-833-456-4566 (QC: 1-866-277-3553)
Visit www.crisisservicescanada.ca

BounceBack
Visitwww.cmha.ca/bounceback
Call1-855-873-0013

Wellness Together Canada
Visit ca.portal.gs/
Text WELLNESS (adults) or FRONTLINE to 741741

Article Originally Appearing on CMHA National Site https://cmha.ca/news/the-mood-boosting-benefits-of-getting-active/ 

Filed Under: News

Next Page »

WHO WE ARE

ABOUT CMHA KELOWNA
MISSION VISION & VALUES
OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OUR TEAM


WHAT WE DO

REPORTS & IMPACT
LATEST NEWS
NEWSLETTER
COMPLAINTS


GET INVOLVED

CAREERS
EVENTS
GET INVOLVED
MEDIA LIBRARY


CONTACT

CMHA Kelowna
504 Sutherland Avenue, Kelowna, BC. V1Y 5X1
Phone: 250-861-3644
Fax: 250-763-4827
E-mail: [email protected]

CMHA Kelowna Charitable #: 10686 3392 RR0001

contact us | resources | privacy | site map

Imagin Canada Logo

The Standards Program Trustmark is a mark of Imagine Canada used under licence by Canadian Mental Health Association - Kelowna Branch.

The CMHA Kelowna offices are located on the ancestral, traditional, and unceded lands of the Okanagan Nation and Syilx peoples. We are committed to sustaining relationships with Indigenous people based on respect, dignity, trust, and cooperation in the process of advancing truth and reconciliation.


Copyright © 2023 Canadian Mental Health Association, Kelowna