Embracing Emotions

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Krembil celebrated Mental Health Week with online resources to promote emotional well-being.
Posted On: May 13, 2021
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May 3-9 marked the Canadian Mental Health Association’s 70th annual Mental Health Week. The theme of this year’s Mental Health Week was “understanding our emotions”.

Mental and emotional health are closely intertwined.

Having good mental health does not mean that you feel happy all the time. One key to maintaining good mental health is learning to recognize, accept and deal with your emotions—both positive and negative.

With hard-hitting waves of COVID-19 and continued disruptions to our daily routines, 2021 has been a remarkably stressful year. A nationwide survey conducted by the Canadian Mental Health Association, in partnership with UBC researchers, found that approximately 40% of Canadians have experienced deteriorated mental health since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

To promote mental health, the Krembil Research Institute shared daily resources to help faculty, staff and trainees recognize their emotions and deal with feelings of stress, anxiety and depression.

Mental Health Week may be over, but maintaining good mental and emotional well-being is a life-long process. The resources compiled by Krembil staff are still available and are listed below.

30-minute mindfulness session

YouTube video

Led by Jenna McLeod, team lead at the Poul Hansen Family Centre for Depression at UHN

Resiliency in Uncertain Times

YouTube video, 1 hour

By Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe, multi-award-winning psychology and education instructor and author of “Calm Within the Storm”

Good Food, Good Mood

Krembil Cookbook in PDF format (UHN sign-in required)

A collection of recipes that are sure to pick you up after a tough day

For more information about Mental Health Week, visit https://mentalhealthweek.ca.