Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Promoting Mental Health Week

National Mental Health Week may not be till May, but it's never too soon to start spreading the word. This year Mental Health Week is from May 7-13, 2012 and events will be taking place all across Canada.



CMHA's Mental Health Week is an annual event that takes place during the first week of May to encourage people from all walks of life to learn, talk, reflect and engage with others on all issues relating to mental health. The theme for this years week is mental health for all.

A great way to get involved with Mental Health Week is to help promote the national event. Some fun ideas on CMHA's website include:

  • Creating a living record of solutions that people in your community use to improve their mental health
  • Organize an event to discuss mental health and share the results via social media
  • Sponsor a local yoga teacher or wellness instructor to visit your local CMHA branch
  • Organize a service group to discuss the benefits of volunteering

This is the week to speak up about mental health. Sharing stories now can help raise awareness and involvement in this long running and important annual event. For more information about the upcoming Mental Health Week visit the media centre online.

Relax, Rejuvenate and Revive Yourself

CMHA VB is excited to launch a new website for 2012's Your Wellness Day. This years Wellness Day will be on Thursday, May 10th, 2012 during National Mental Health Week. Your Wellness Day is organized by CMHA VB and the MPA Society.

Your Wellness Day is a creative fundraiser that benefits local businesses, mental health organizations and overworked individuals. This mission based campaign will encourage people individually or in groups to explore the connection food, wellness services, physical activity and spirituality has on mental health by
visiting community vendors. The event will provide the opportunity to explore local health services.



Local businesses participating in the event benefit from event promotion, positive public image, a charitable tax receipt and a new customer base. In turn they donate 20% of their days profits to CMHA and the MPA Society. Unlike in the past when only spas and salons participated, this year participation will be opened up to all local businesses with a focus on mental health and general well being.


7th Annual Family Conference

CMHA VB is currently gearing up for the 7th Annual Family Conference taking place in one months time. The conference is put on by the CMHA, the Family Advisory Committee, Vancouver Coastal Health, the British Columbia Schizophrenic Society, and the Mood Disorders Assocation of British Columbia.

The goal of this conference is to promote awareness and understanding of serious mental illnesses and to promote family involvement in the mental health system.

The one day event will feature a opening key note speaker addressing the topic of genetics and mental illness. The rest of the morning will be spent with a variety of different workshops on stories of recovery, legal and financial planning, the well sibling experience and mental health in an aging population. Lunch will follow the workshops, and the afternoon will be dedicated to key note addressing understanding insight in mental health before ending with a family panel.

The conference isn't till next month, but register now to ensure your seat! Tickets are $35 for individuals and $50 for a family (up to four people). The conference will be taking place at the Paetzold Theatre at Vancouver General Hospital.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Spring Has Sprung

The clocks have moved forward, the birds are chirping and blossoms are blooming - spring is here. Even the calendar marked the beginning of Spring with the first day of the equinox yesterday and Nowruz celebrations across the city.

So what does this all mean besides bathing suit season approaching? Time to dust off your attitude and do a spring cleaning of both your house and your health!

New years resolutions are hard to keep in the middle of winter. Instead of making unrealistic resolutions for spring, try making healthier everyday small changes. Embrace the new season and activities that all become more fun as the weather warms including:

  • Walking - an easy way to incorporate more exercise into your day, and now longer days allow for evening strolls
  • Bring your workout outdoors - jump on a bike, go for a kayak or try a hike
  • Farmers markets - this time of year markets are popping up all over the city and provide a way to access fresh and local food
  • seasonal festivals and events - check online to find all sorts of fun and free events to attend reconnect with your family
  • Soak up the sun - a little vitamin D can go a long way in helping your brain work later in life (just don't forget the sunscreen)
Enjoy the signs of spring! Take the opportunites presented to declutter your brain, try new things and make healthy new habits part of your everyday routine.

Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Minds

Last month we discussed the mental health conference Bottom Line; a two day event all about mental health in the workplace. This is a current hot topic as the Mental Health Commission of Canada also touched upon the health workplaces in their monthly newsletter.

The MHCC reveals a report by Martin Shain, PhD all about how to create conditions that lead to a healthy workplace for both employers and employees. Shain defines a healthy workplace as one that makes all efforts to protect the mental health of its employees. Besides creating a healthy environment, employees need acknowledgement, resources and support to be happy in their jobs.

Shain outlines five steps workplaces can take to reduce risks that could lead to to mental illness:

1) Routinely identify psychological and physical job hazards that could lead to risks

2) Conduct regular internal reviews of data pertaining to mental health of employees

3) Have a system in place to respond to risks in an organized and prioritized way

4) Have access to a broad range of information that provides validated practical responses to risks

5) Create and implement policies and procedures concerning the prevention and management of mental health disorders

Be proactive in your workplace and take these steps as a way to create healthy spaces for happy employees.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Get Set & Connect

Get Set & Connect is a program designed to help adults living with mental illness make connections and form meaningful relationships with others through activities in their community. The program offers a variety of programming including one to one coaching, connecting through small group activities and monthly networking sessions.

The monthly networking sessions allow for participants to connect and meet one another, as well as learning about all the different activities available in the program. The meetings take place twice a month, one in the evening and one in the afternoon to allow everyone the opportunity to attend. Each of the meetings include:

  • A chance for introductions and describing leisure activities that you enjoy
  • An explanation of what to expect at the meetings
  • An activity to help people better understand what they enjoy in the way of activities and how they can pursue them
  • Advertising of activity groups that Gets Set & Connect offer
  • Success stories about Get Set & Connect activities and the networking meetings
  • A list of free events for the coming week in Vancouver
  • A chance for feedback
The next Get Set & Connect meeting is next Tuesday March 13th at 7 p.m. The meeting will be taking place at Rhizome Cafe located at 317 East Broadway - a short stroll from CMHA Vancouver-Burnaby.

Finding Diversity In Mental Health

Later this month join CMHA and the Utilitarian Church of Vancouver in welcoming mental health counselor and advocate Will Hall. Will is based out of Portland, Oregon but travels internationally to speak at events and workshops. Some of the organizations Will works with include Portland Hearing Voices, The Icarus Project and Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care.

Will is in Vancouver from Friday, March 16 - Sunday 18, for a series of public events and workshops about diversity in mental health.

Some of the topics that will be covered during the three day event include:

  • Living with Mental Diversity: Bipolar, Schizophrenia and Psychosis in a Crazy World
  • Emotional CPR and New Ways of Supporting Extreme States
  • Queer Pride Mad Pride and Mental Diversity
  • Mental Health Extreme States, Dangerousness, and an Effective Social Response
If these topics interest you contact the Utilitarian Church of Vancouver for more information.

10 Tips for Mental Health

The CMHA provides many resources ranging from extensive programming to basic online healthy living tips. The importance of making small changes should never be underestimated. The tips below can help bring balance, well being and happiness to your everyday life.

1) Build Confidence - Identify your abilities, build on them and do rhe best you can with what you have

2) Eat Right, Keep Fit - A balanced diet goes a long way with helping reduce stress

3) Make Time For Family and Friends - Don't take these relationships for granted

4) Give And Accept Support - Relationships thrive when they are 'put to the test'

5) Create A Meaningful Budget - Over spending causes stress, identify needs versus wants

6) Volunteer - Being involved gives a sense of satisfaction and well being that paid work can't provide

7) Manage Stress - Learn to identify and manage stressors

8) Find Strength In Numbers - Share your problems with others, it will help you feel less isolated

9) Identify And Deal With Moods - Find safe and constructive ways to deal with and feel emotions

10) Learn To Be At Peace With Yourself - Get to know who you are, what makes you happy and accept what you cannot change

Give these tips a try - who knows, a small change could make a big difference!

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Roll to the Vancouver Bike Show

This weekend CMHA Vancouver-Burnaby will be hosting a booth at the annual Vancouver Bike Show. The bike show is this weekend March 3 and 4, 2012. This is the place to be this weekend for anyone with an interest in riding - see bike demos, meet pro-riders and much more at this two day affair.

The CMHA booth will be providing information about our upcoming fourth annual community bike ride. Our bike ride brings together hundreds of cyclists riding through the city to raise money for mental health services in our community. Register now if you are interested in a fun day of riding, which is full of family friendly activities benefitting a great cause!

If you are planning on biking to the event this weekend always remember the five basic principles of safe riding:
  • maintain your bicycle in good working order
  • be as visible as possible to others
  • learn the skills needed to control the bike
  • cycle in traffic safely and predictably
  • know and obey the rules of the ride
To learn more, the bike show this weekend will help any rider from novice to advanced learn training tips, how to ride safely in the city and the importance of staying healthy and getting outside. Hope to see you there!

Take a Stand Against Bullying

Today is the last Wednesday of February, which means it's Anti-Bullying Day in Canada. The day, also known as pink shirt day, asks participants and supporters to wear pink shirts to support anti-bullying efforts.

The movement has gained traction in the last few years due to the increased attention surrounding bullying in school and cyber-bullying. Besides wearing pink shirts, anti-bullying day can consist of a number of activities in school or the workplace to draw attention to the importance of helping reduce bullying, and not being a silent observer.

Besides making schools and communities a safe and warm place for everyone; it's important to stop bullying because of the link with depression. Being bullied can make victims feel isolated and affect their general feelings of well being - possibly leading to depression. Both bullies and victims can suffer long term negative mental health effects which may not be immediately apparent.

So even if you missed the pink shirt memo today, remember the message all year long. Bullying has negative effects both short and long term - saying no to bullying creates a safer environment for us all.

B.C. Housing Programs

In 2005, BC Housing approached CMHA-VB with an opportunity to offer a recreation program for the tenants at one of their Vancouver locations. Since then, the program has expanded and grown to six locations in Vancouver and Burnaby.

Each of the six locations offers diverse activities for the residents, either free or at a low affordable cost. Some of the weekday activities include games nights, cooking classes, art programs, fitness sessions and outdoor fun!

The programs allow for residents to get out and socialize in a supportive and safe environment. For a peek into some of the activities take a look at the 2011 highlights from Hall Tower at vimeo. Hall Tower is one of the six residents in the recreation program.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

What's Your Bottom Line?

Work is an important part of our lives. We spent the majority of our weekday in our places of work. Our co-workers and the overall atmosphere of our office have an impact on how we feel. It's important for employeers to provide a place a work which encourages positive mental health.

The CMHA recognizes the importance of the workplace on our overall health. Next week CMHA is hosting the 2012 annual Bottom Line Conference. This B.C. wide conference brings together executives, managers, HR and health personal together to discuss mental health in the workplace.

The 9th annual conference, which includes workshops, is a two day affair starting on February 29, 2012. The event will explore key issues of daily work life that can affect mental health including:

•Workload
•Work-life balance
•Work environment
•Leadership/management style
•Communication

The two day conference in an ideal opportuntity for employers to come together and recognize the importance of the workplace on their employees overall health. If you aren't attending, the event's website provides thorough and relevant references on improving workplace mental health.

Get the Giggles at Laugher Yoga

Looking for the perfect way to de-stress on your lunch break and beat a serious case of the Mondays?

Try laughter yoga at the Burnaby-Vancouver branch of CMHA! Laughter yoga is a series of playful interactive exercises designed to stimulate laughter. The sessions provide a safe non-judgmental environment to be playful and express joy.


Laughter yoga does not involve yoga postures, and you do not need any special clothing, equipment or props to practice laughter yoga. It can be practiced by anyone, of any age and fitness level, and can be modified for people with limited physical activities.
Laughter yoga was developed by Dr. Madan Kataria, a physician in Mumbia, India who was looking for a way to help his patients many of whom were stressing from stress and stress related illnesses. He developed a technique to help people laugh without jokes or humour, which uses simulated laughter and playful interactive exercises to help people re- connect with their inner spirit of joy. Scientifically proven benefits include:


• Relieves stress and anxiety
• Decreases blood pressure
• Boosts the immune system
• Helps with pain management
• Provides aerobic exercise
• Enhances the mood


 
Laughter yoga is by donation on every third Monday at CMHA #110-2425 Quebec Street. Hope to see you at our next session on March 19, 2012.

Is it the February Blahs?

February has never been a very popular month. The highlights of winter have long passed and summer is still months away, even spring seems like a stretch.

It can be difficult to recognize the symptoms of mental health when everyone around you in in the mid-winter slump. However, it's important to be able to identify between an off day and reoccuring symptoms of a mental illness.

A Here to Help B.C. factsheet provides a thorough list of changes that might indicate a mental disorder:

  • no longer have interest in activites you used to enjoy
  • find yourself acting sad or angry for no apparent reason
  • strange thoughts and voices you can't get rid of
  • having trouble concentrating
  • used to feel healthy but now you can't shake a persistant sick feeling
  • eating habits or sleeping patterns have changed
  • feel fear, worry or terror about things in life that everyone else is coping well with
  • have been missing more time or school
  • have a constant fear of being hurt
  • increase in substance use/abuse
  • find yourself avoiding people
  • constant thoughts about dying, considered suicide

If any of these symptons persist for longer than a few weeks, you could be suffering from more than just the February blahs. It is advisable to seek out professional help.


For support, information or referral on any aspect of mental health and wellness, contact the Mental Health Information Line: 310-6789 (no area code needed)

Friday, February 10, 2012

Stay Connected

Do you follow our twitter feed or regularly read our blog? If you always seem to find yourself looking for more information about mental health wellness, try our monthly newletter.

Each month CMHA produces a newletter which is available for subscription free online. The newsletter is a convenient way to keep in touch with all that is going on at the CMHA. Check out past issues in our archive to get a taste for all the newsletter has to offer.

Happy reading!

Love To Be Well

Love is in the air, and not just due to the rapidly approaching holiday Valentines day. This past Wednesday, February 8th, CMHA staff, affiliated services and community members came together at the community creekside centre to celebrate wellness at the event Love to Be Well.

As guests entered the event they were invited to write their thoughts about mental health on hand cut hearts. They were asked to share what does mental health wellness mean to them, and if they had a wellness wish for another. The activity helped set the tone for the event and provided those present with the opportunity to see what others had written and wished for others.  

Everyone who attended had the opportunity to mingle over refreshments and meet representatives from different services and programs provided by the CMHA. Some of the services ranged from P.E.D.A.L. and Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition providing tips for this years community bike ride, to Get Set and Connect and super saturday club, which are regular programs run by the CMHA.

The guest speaker of the evening was healthy food guru Adam Hart. Adam is a nutritionist, Whole Foods chef, speaker, coach and author of e3 For Life. Adam spoke to the crowd about the strong food mood connection, and how what you eat can affect your mental health. During his talk, Adam touched upon how to reduce the impact of depression, how to use food to increase mental clarity and how to enhance your mental imagination.

The evening was capped off with laughter yoga led by Certified Laughter Yoga Leader Seia Roots. Laughter yoga includes traditional aspects of yoga like deep breathing and stretching with exercises designed to self-trigger laughter. Laughter yoga provides a stress release and studies have shown it provides positive psychological benefits. With a smile on their face after completing laughter yoga, guests left refreshed and renewed with new tools equipping them to love to be well.