Sarita Patel
The Kelowna Canadian Mental Health Association says residents have been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, as evidenced by an increase in the need for services.
Jessica Samuels, assistant director of community involvement for Canada’s Mental Health Association Kelowna, says service requests have increased and those requests are more serious.
“There is a greater need for help, people are calling out to themselves and they are calling out to their loved ones.”
The global crisis isn’t just affecting mental health, with the excitement of the holidays, shorter days, and lack of sunlight, January is a tough month for most.
“There are some basic things we can all do,” she adds. “Go outside if you can. It may mean you need to focus, but light makes a difference.”
If you are struggling with seasonal affective disorder, there is light therapy, a special type of light that affects your mood.
Samuels recommends that people do a mental health check-in with themselves on a regular basis to make sure that their basic elements are aligned.
“Do I eat like I should, sleep like I should, what is my mood like, do I feel like I can’t get excited or am I not connecting with friends and family like I should?”
CMHA has a checklist of questions that you can use as a template for daily, weekly, or even monthly use.
“If these things happen over a long period of time then it is normal for you, I would say two weeks, then it is time for you to get in touch.”
She emphasizes that if you have any mental health problems about CMHA, you should seek help or a doctor.
“Right now, people may feel like they shouldn’t be approaching something because everyone is having problems. It’s so important to keep approaching something.”
The community is also encouraged to review each other.
“Check in with someone who may not seem to be themselves, check in with someone you haven’t heard from in a while, check in with your neighbor when you know he is alone and don’t have a family in town. “
If you need assistance, you can call CMHA at (250) 861-3644 or visit their website for more information.
