Do you tend to start feeling unhappy around the same time each year? If so, you might have seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a type of depression that the Canadian Psychological Association estimates affects about 15% of Canadians, at some point in their lifetimes. Below, we…
There’s nothing better than the refreshed feeling you have when you wake up from a restful night of sleep. But did you know that sleep can do much more than just alleviate fatigue? It’s true! Getting a sufficient amount of sleep can: Improve your cardiovascular…
Does your career often leave you feeling stressed? If so, you’re not alone. The Benefit and Pension Monitor shared the results of a 2023 survey of 2,500 Canadian employees. The results included: 60% of respondents reported suffering from workplace-related stress, with 34% stating that they…
If you’ve been researching self-care practices, you may have come across something known as journaling. But what is journaling, exactly, and what can it do to improve your mental, emotional, and even physical health? Journaling, at its core, is the regular practice of writing down…
Anxiety can greatly impact a person’s overall health and well-being, and if you struggle with this condition, you may be willing to do almost anything to relieve your symptoms. There are numerous lifestyle changes you can make to help manage your anxiety—for example, you could…
The brain has three main executive functions: working memory (which helps you remember what you’re doing at the present moment), cognitive flexibility (which helps you shift your thinking from one topic to another), and inhibition control (which helps you focus and stop yourself from saying…
You may have heard about the benefits of setting boundaries with family, friends, and coworkers—by communicating your needs and wants, you can boost your self-esteem, prioritize your mental and emotional health, and improve your overall well-being. In the long run, boundaries can also enhance the…
If you’re looking for a way to relieve stress, you’ll want to consider incorporating exercise into your daily routine (with a doctor’s approval). Exercise is renowned for being an excellent stress reliever, but how exactly does it affect stress levels? Exercise can: Increase endorphin production…
If you’re looking to improve your mental health and overall well-being, one of the best things you can do is track how you’re feeling. Not only does this allow you to identify any issues you might be experiencing and set goals for how to resolve…
Oftentimes, when we think about what could harm our mental health, our minds go to major life events—the loss of a job, the end of a relationship, or the death of a loved one. But small habits that often go unnoticed can also play a…
You’ve probably heard of “self-care Sunday,” a recent trend that involves devoting one day a week to nourishing your mind and body. Whether you want to start practicing self-care on Sundays, Wednesdays, Fridays—or every day—good for you! Depending on the practices you adopt, self-care can…
If a friend or family member has obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), you probably want to do whatever you can to help them. But if you’ve never dealt with this disorder yourself, you might have a hard time figuring out what to say. Your goal should be…