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.

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)

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.

CMHA Open House Reminder - Today!

Just a quick note to let you know how much we are looking forward to the open house this afternoon.
We hope you are able to join us!

1-4:30 pm
Suite 110 - 2425 Quebec Street (Vancouver!)

Happy Mental Health Week!