By Mitzi Perez, Financial Controller, 1Milk2Sugars Communications
We all know mental health is important but are we taking the right steps to prioritize it?
The truth is, in today’s fast-paced and unpredictable world (pandemic, anyone?), taking the time to prioritize our mental health is a luxury many of us feel we can’t afford.
But, the statistics provide a warning shot: they say our mental health is something we as Canadians can’t afford to ignore.
According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, 1 in 5 Canadians will experience mental health issues in any given year with that number climbing to 50% of the population experiencing a mental health illness or crisis by the age of 40. The COVID-19 crisis that has defined 2020 has only compounded the reality for many Canadians.
While there is no single cause, and everyone’s mental health journey is as unique as they are, it’s important to acknowledge that your environment has a huge impact on how you feel day-to-day. Human beings love to give, give, give, and go, go, go. We hustle and bustle throughout our days, sometimes without even stopping to eat (which is bad, don’t do that). We are emptying our tanks of energy and barely replenishing them.
That’s where self-care comes in.
The concept of self-care has all but become synonymous with treating yourself to (often pricey) indulgences like a spa day, aromatherapy candles, or face masks. And that’s great, if you can afford it. But at its root, self-care is an important practice that doesn’t have to cost money or even a lot of time.
Taking just a few minutes each day to do something for ourselves has such a tremendous effect on the hormones and chemicals in our body which, in turn, affect our stress levels, mood and energy.
Some of my favourite forms of daily self care?
Reading a book, taking a walk, having a conversation with a loved one, surrounding myself with nature, working out, eating well, self introspection… the list is endless.
Maybe most importantly, self-care is about being honest with yourself and acknowledging when you need to hit pause. I’m thankful that I work for a company that encourages me to care for myself and acknowledges the importance of mental health.
This year, with Covid-19, and all that has gone on in the world, taking care of ourselves may have fallen to the wayside. It’s not selfish to look out for yourself. Once you’ve done that, if you’re up to it, look out for your colleagues, too. After all, our work-fam is what makes the place we spend 70% of our time so great!
About Mitzi:
Mitzi Perez is the Controller at 1Milk2Sugars, as well as being the founder of Caregivers Need Some Care Too, a blog which chronicles her experiences with grief, being a caregiver to her terminally ill father, and self-care.
Read more of Mitzi’s thoughts here!
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