Some people say mid-winter is the most depressing time of year—when cold and dark days, holiday bills, and already-lapsed new year’s resolutions catch up with us
Whether you believe that or not, it’s never a bad time to reflect on how time-of-year stresses and opportunities can affect your mental health. HeretoHelp.bc.ca, British Columbia’s nationally-acclaimed website on mental health and substance use, offers 8 tips to winterproof your mental well-being. “These tips are great for everyone, but even more so if you live with or at risk of a mental illness,” says Sarah Hamid-Balma, HeretoHelp’s coordinator at the Canadian Mental Health Association.
Since 2004, HeretoHelp has been a trusted resource of the B.C. Partners for Mental Health and Addictions Information, a group of seven leading provincial mental health and addictions nonprofit agencies working together to help individuals and families better prevent and manage mental health and substance use problems. HeretoHelp is funded by B.C. Mental Health and Addiction Services, an agency of the Provincial Health Services Authority.
We speak with Sarah Hamid-Balma, mental health promotion director at the B.C. division of the Canadian Mental Health Association, in an interview first broadcast in February 2013.
RELATED | News Release: Winterproofing your mental health (Jan. 23, 2013) |
