It is mental health week and the Canadian Mental Health Association – Nova Scotia Division (CMHA-NS) says this year’s theme is “unmasking”.
Mental Health Week is a national awareness campaign held every year by the Canadian Mental Health Association during the first full week of May -this year, it is May 5-11.
Erin Christie, lead of communications, tells our newsroom masking is essentially when you hide a part of yourself. This could be emotions, personality traits or behaviors.
“Overworking to avoid emotions, agreeing with people to avoid conflict [and] downplaying your achievements to minimize your success,” says Christie.
She says, people do these things in fear of judgement or to “meet societal expectations” as a way of coping, and it is all bad for your mental health.
“It takes a toll, you know, pretending to be okay when you’re not all the time. Imagine what that does to your insides,” adds Christie.
Understanding yourself and who you are as well as having your needs met, Christie says, is what it really comes down to.
Other ways to improve mental health
There are some basic practices, Christie says, to improve your mental health that most of us have already heard about.
“Getting enough sleep, working, some form of exercise…I think it’s 20 minutes a day…to get your heart rate up, eating well,” says Christie.
Nutrition, she says, is a key part of mental health and includes hydration, fruits and vegetables.
“You need to have enough food and water, a safe and affordable place to live. You need to be able to work if you want to and have a safe workplace,” adds Christie.
In addition to those, she adds, try to be compassionate and truly listen when you ask someone how they are doing.
“Building connections. When you’re calling a friend, you don’t have to talk about anything really heavy, just making sure you have those connections in your life,” adds Christie.
