Mental Health Week runs May 3-9.

This year the Canadian Mental Health Association reminds us to get real about how we feel by naming your feelings not numbing them.  We can do that by getting right up close to our feelings so that we can identify and name them.  When we name how we feel instead of numbing it, we actually feel better.  When we name our emotions we can tame them.  Especially the harder ones.  The ones we sometimes call “negative” like sadness, anger and fear.  This year take off your brave face and look at how you are really feeling.   

Good mental health isn’t about being happy all the time.  In fact, a mentally healthy life includes the full range of human emotions- even the uncomfortable ones like sadness, fear and anger.  These are part of being human and hiding them doesn’t make them go away, says Angela Fetch Muzyka, Wellness Development Officer for Stony Plain FCSS.  “If you can address the emotion you can move forward but if you are feeling overwhelmed by emotions and they persist or are interfering with your daily life start by talking to your doctor or reaching out to mental health services”.

This year the Town of Stony Plain and Parkland County service providers from the school, libraries, youth centre and FCSS have teamed up to offer activities throughout the week that will help get you in touch with ways to reduce stress, opportunities to learn about supports out there, to look at driving factors for your emotions and take you back to one of the 7 key protective factors that support your mental health - creative play. 

Why is creativity a protective factor? “Being creative helps you feel less stressed, improves your mood, and activates your imagination in a positive way.  Creativity opens you to more flexible ways of thinking and seeing challenges leading to better problem solving skills when challenges arise, shares Sarah Nipshank, Parkland County.

Join our mental health week activities and you could win $200 in gift cards for local businesses of your choice by filling out the entry form and attending at least one mental health week event found under the Stony Plain FCSS May Programs Guide.  Find events, challenges, articles, resources and more.

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