A recent survey conducted by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) has identified that 19% of adults in Ontario suffer from moderate to severe problematic use of electronic devices. What makes the use problematic? Take a look at the following from the CAMH to learn more and to see if you have trouble disconnecting.
Trouble getting the kids to power down? Try our free printable Technology Pass.
While studies show that walking in nature can boost mental health, researchers are delving deeper to study the actual effects on the brain. Learn more about the ongoing studies in the following from the New York Times and be sure to take advantage of all the natural world has to offer this Spring.
Stress can negatively affect many aspects of your physical and emotional health including your heart. In recent years, more attention has been paid to reducing stress to help prevent heart disease. The following from Forbes Magazine discusses two new studies that have uncovered more information about the connection between stress and heart disease. Read the article to learn more and check out our post, How Stress is Affecting Your Health, for solutions to reduce stress.
Forbes: The Link Between Stress And Heart Disease May Lie In The Brain
In our previous post, Blue Monday and Beyond – Tips to Beat the Winter Blues we discussed how some research suggests that up to 15% of people in Ontario experience the “winter blues” and 2-3% of the population suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
If you are suffering from depression, anxiety, SAD or simply the “winter blues” being aware of your feelings, thoughts, emotions and overall mood can help you to understand and cope. The following printable “Mood Diary” will help you to track when you are feeling a certain emotion, the intensity of it, the situational aspects and the effectiveness of your coping mechanisms. Doing so will give you and your healthcare professionals a better understanding of the problem.
For more helpful tools visit our Printable Resources Page.
According to The Canadian Mental Health Association “it is estimated that 10-20% of Canadian youth are affected by a mental illness or disorder – the single most disabling group of disorders worldwide.” Parents can often easily identify and seek help for physical problems in their children, but mental illness can be harder to recognize. The following from Psychology Today provides changes and signs to watch for, and advice on how to seek help for a child.
Psychology Today: 13 Concerning Signs of Mental Illness in a Child
Selifies are everywhere! In fact, they are now even in the Oxford Dictionary which defines the term ‘selfie’ as: “ a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and shared via social media.”
Why are selfies so popular? Why do we post them? Some find them narcissistic, others simply a means of creative expression. Many, especially young millennials, find them fun to do. With their dominance on social media people are starting to wonder what motivates people to take a selfie and what impact posting one has on self-esteem?
The following from CNN discusses conflicting studies on whether posting selfies is good or harmful to your self-esteem. Check it out here and let us know what you think– To selfie or not to selfie?
CNN: Selfies hurt self-esteem. No, they help. Scientists can’t make up their minds
Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)
I made a comment after the Holidays that I was slowly recovering from Christmas Affective Disorder. For me, Christmas is stressful, hectic and challenging. I struggle with it every year. After the seasonal rush, it takes me days, or even weeks, to get back to my normal equilibrium. However, really, winter despair is not a joke and for some, can be debilitating.
In fact, some research suggests that up to 15% of people in Ontario experience the “winter blues”. These leave you feeling tired, groggy, and maybe even sad or irritable. While this causes discomfort, it is not incapacitating. However, a more serious form of the winter blues, known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), can be. While occurring less frequently at 2-3% of the population, the symptoms can prevent individuals from leading a normal life. Symptoms of SAD include decreased energy, changes in appetite, especially leading to cravings for starchy or sweet foods, oversleeping and weight gain, among other things. If you feel this is you, talk to your doctor and have your symptoms investigated.
The problem is not always the blues, but how these create a negative behavior cycle. When you feel down, you revert, avoid, or change habits. This leads to feeling worse and the cycle continues. Occupational therapists (OTs) recognize the importance of being engaged in activities that are meaningful, active and productive, and understand how these contribute to health and well-being. In fact, one of the best treatments for beating the winter blues involves just “keep on keeping on” by doing what you normally do every day. Some tips include:
1. Use behavioral activation to keep your normal routine. Make the bed, have a shower, prepare a decent breakfast, walk to the mail box. Don’t change habits that are ingrained just because it is winter. Never underestimate how damaging it can be if you avoid even small things that ultimately add up to a productive day. Gradually try to get back to those important tasks if you have found that your daily behaviors have become unproductive.
2. Stay active. Those that love the winter do so because they get outdoors. Walk, ski, skate, toboggan – something to help you appreciate how wonderful a change of seasons can be. This is best facilitated by proper clothing that will keep you warm. If exercise is tough for you, build it into your day by default – park farther from the door, use the stairs, make a few trips from the car with the groceries to get the blood flowing.
3. Consider light therapy. Sit by the window at lunch, get some fresh air when the sun is out, or consider purchasing an artificial light for your use at home.
4. Up the nutrients. When some bad eating habits creep into your winter these can be hard to break come spring, and only contribute to further mood declines. Shop in the fruit and veggie isles, and avoid the isles that house the bad foods you seem to be eating too much of.
Finding ways to help you do the things you want to, need to, or enjoy, is at the heart of occupational therapy. While the winter months can be long, dark, and cold, ultimately how we adapt to the seasonal change is up to us. If moving or going south is not an option, consider some of the above tips to make the winter bearable, or dare I say, even enjoyable?
Seasonal Affective Disorder. (Canadian Mental Health Association, 2013) http://www.cmha.ca/mental_health/seasonal-affective-disorder-sad/
Beat The Winter Blues (Readers Digest, no date) http://www.readersdigest.ca/health/healthy-living/beat-winter-blues
Kurlansik, SL & Ibay, AD. (2012).
Seasonal Affective Disorder. Am Fam Physician. 2012 Dec 1;86(11):1037-1041.
10 Winter Depression Busters for Seasonal Affective Disorder (Borchard, no date) http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/12/30/10-winter-depression-busters-for-seasonal-affective-disorder/
Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)
From when I was a teen I have been highly sensitive to movies, news stories, songs or videos that involve violence (particularly against women). In fact, I avoid movies and shows in general (beyond thoughtless sitcoms or socially interesting reality TV), fearing that I will see (or hear) a bothersome scene. If my screening process fails and I catch something disturbing, I have problems sleeping for days as the images or sounds replay in my mind. In talking to my friend about this, she asked me a pointed question: Do you think you have PTSD?
Her question was referring to her knowledge of my experience as a teenager in 1991: My former elementary classmate Leslie Mahaffy and later Kristen French were both abducted, tortured, sexually assaulted and murdered by the notorious Paul Bernardo and his wife Carla Homolka. Kristen’s body was found near my community. Not long after, Nina de Villier was abducted and murdered after leaving for a run from the tennis club where I played and her brother was my double’s partner. I was part of the search party for Nina in the days of her disappearance and following these tragedies my mother became involved in an organization developed by Nina’s mother Prescilla called “Canadians Against Violence” (CAVEAT). Over the next few years I assisted with the organization at times, meeting many people whose lives were horribly impacted by the tragic loss of a daughter or sister, or who were victimized, stalked and threatened (some ongoing) by men. Now, as a mother of four girls, I recognize that these experiences still foundationally impact how I parent and I try to not let my fears about the safety of my girls restrict them from experiencing the important milestones of growing up.
Whether I have friend-diagnosed PTSD or not, according to the Canadian Mental Health Association, PTSD is a mental illness. It involves exposure to trauma involving death or the threat of death, serious injury, or sexual violence. In general, the traumatic event involves real or threatened physical harm to the self or to others, and causes intense fear, hopelessness, and/or horror. Emotional impairment results due to anxiety, depression, recurrent flashbacks, difficulty sleeping and concentrating, and feelings of guilt of having survived when others may not have (Stats Canada). In the military, one in six are reported to experience PTSD as a result of their service (Learn more from the Globe and Mail).
Occupational therapy, a profession vested in helping people to function safely and independently in their life-roles, is often one of the many health care providers that can assist people to overcome the symptoms associated with PTSD. Problems like anxiety, depression, flashbacks, difficultly sleeping and concentrating, and overcoming feelings of guilt can be tackled through: cognitive and / or behavioral strategies aimed at increasing activity participation slowly over time; by identifying, recording and sharing thoughts and feelings; and through engagement in healing-focused activities. Occupational therapists break down life tasks into smaller and manageable chunks to grade the successful return to meaningful roles. Over time, previously challenging tasks become easier as we help people master the roadblocks that are preventing their successful engagement in function.
However, with something as significant as PTSD, it will be the collaboration of multiple professionals helping the client to overcome their challenges that will have the most impact. Medical doctors, social work, psychology, psychotherapy, even massage, art or yoga therapy can help to provide a holistic approach to helping people move beyond these often crippling experiences. If you have PTSD and this is impacting your ability to do the things you need or want to do, please seek the help of professionals.
As for me, I don’t currently have the goal of wanting to return to watching movies and shows riddled with violence, rape and murder. I personally don’t find that entertaining and actually wonder why other people do. I am not sure I will ever understand, PTSD or not, why people derive pleasure watching (even if simulated) images of people’s horrible mistreatment. So, I will stay in my bubble for now enjoying Modern Family, Survivor and The Amazing Race. However, if my past does start to impact my ability to parent my girls, participate in activities I would otherwise enjoy, or snags my engagement in any other necessary or important area of my life, I will surely reach out for help.
Depression is a common and serious health condition that Health Canada estimates about 11 per cent of men and 16 per cent of women in Canada will experience at some point in their lives. Learn more about potential treatment options and the importance of disability benefits for those suffering from Depression in the following post by Brad Moscato of Howie Sacks and Henry Personal Injury Law.
In our post from earlier this week, How Stress is Affecting Your Health, we discussed an important and often overlooked piece of the health puzzle: stress. Though some stress is natural and can actually be helpful, when too much stress begins to affect you on a daily basis it can become damaging to your health.
Use our following FREE printable worksheet to help you identify stressors, your reactions and to come up with solutions to help you cope.
For more helpful tools for children and adults please visit our Printable Resources Page.