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.

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!

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.