Family Day
Family Day offers a meaningful opportunity to reflect on the importance of mental health within the family dynamic. Families are often the first support system people turn to, and spending time together can have a profound impact on mental well-being. A strong family network can foster a sense of belonging, security, and unconditional support, all of which contribute to positive mental health. For many, these moments of togetherness offer a chance to check in on each other, offer encouragement, and strengthen emotional bonds, which can help alleviate stress and prevent isolation.
However, it's also important to recognize that family dynamics can sometimes be a source of mental health challenges. Family relationships can be complicated, and tensions or unresolved issues may surface, particularly during times of closeness. On Family Day, it's essential to approach one another with empathy and understanding, allowing space for open communication. By fostering a nurturing environment where mental health is openly discussed and supported, families can create a safe space where every member feels heard and valued, ultimately promoting better mental well-being for all involved.
In addition to emotional support, Family Day can also serve as a reminder of the role that healthy habits play in mental health. Families can use the occasion to engage in activities that promote well-being, such as going for a walk, cooking a healthy meal together, or practicing relaxation techniques like mindfulness or yoga. These activities not only provide opportunities for connection but also encourage positive routines that contribute to mental resilience. By making mental health a priority and creating moments of joy and relaxation, Family Day can serve as a powerful tool for nurturing both individual and collective well-being within the family unit.
The Reality Behind Blue Monday: Separating Fact from Fiction
Blog Post 1: The Reality Behind Blue Monday: Separating Fact from Fiction
Every year, the third Monday of January is labeled "Blue Monday," often referred to as the saddest day of the year. While this concept originated from a marketing campaign rather than scientific research, it has gained traction due to the challenges many face during this time of year. Factors such as shorter daylight hours, financial stress, and the post-holiday lull can contribute to feelings of low mood and fatigue. Although Blue Monday is more myth than fact, its widespread recognition highlights real struggles that warrant attention.
One contributing factor to the so-called "winter blues" is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a condition characterized by depressive symptoms that occur during specific seasons, typically winter. According to Rosenthal et al. (1984), decreased sunlight exposure disrupts the body’s circadian rhythm and reduces serotonin production, leading to symptoms such as low energy and sadness. Light therapy, which involves exposure to a bright light box for 20–60 minutes daily, has been shown to be an effective treatment for SAD. A meta-analysis by Kanazawa et al. (2022) further supports the efficacy of light therapy in improving mood disorders.
In Canada, an estimated 15% of the population experiences "winter blues," marked by increased sleep, social withdrawal, indulgence in comfort activities, and decreased motivation (Canadian Mental Health Association [CMHA], 2020). Additionally, 2–3% of Canadians experience clinical SAD during the winter months (CMHA, 2020). Localized research from Edmonton indicates that extreme weather impacts vulnerable populations such as older adults and immigrants. The University of Alberta’s “Neighbourhoods and Climate Change Vulnerability” initiative aims to help Edmontonians understand these vulnerabilities and build resilience (University of Alberta, 2023). This can be viewed here at Neighbourhoods and Climate Change Vulnerability.
Beyond SAD, January often brings unique stressors, such as financial strain from holiday expenses and the pressure of unfulfilled New Year’s resolutions. These challenges can exacerbate feelings of overwhelm and failure. Evidence-based strategies offer practical tools to address these issues. For instance, physical activity is a proven intervention for reducing depressive symptoms. Kambanis et al. (2023) found that even moderate exercise, such as walking for 30 minutes three times per week, significantly improves mood by increasing endorphin production.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) techniques also play a critical role in managing negative thought patterns. Strategies such as thought records, reframing unhelpful thoughts, and practicing gratitude have been shown to enhance emotional resilience. Huang et al. (2024) reported that individuals who practiced gratitude consistently experienced increased happiness and reduced depressive symptoms. Additionally, maintaining social connections can buffer against feelings of isolation. Research by Koszycki et al. (2022) highlights the importance of meaningful relationships in mitigating stress and improving mental health.
While Blue Monday lacks scientific credibility, its enduring popularity reflects the real challenges people face during the winter months. By understanding the science behind these struggles and adopting evidence-based practices, individuals can proactively improve their mental well-being. Persistent feelings of sadness or other depressive symptoms should not be ignored, as they may indicate a more serious condition, such as major depressive disorder (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013).
If you or someone you know is experiencing low mood, anxiety, or other mental health challenges and are interested in being proactive in the new year, consider pursuing psychological services. Please contact our admin team for an intake assessment at admin@refocusyou.ca or call 780.700.2577. Taking the first step toward support can make all the difference.
Written by ReFocus You Student Therapists: Fatima Nashman and Daniel Sochan
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.).
Blumenthal, J. A., Babyak, M. A., Doraiswamy, P. M., Watkins, L., Hoffman, B. M., Barbour, K. A., ... & Sherwood, A. (2007). Exercise and pharmacotherapy in the treatment of major depressive disorder. Psychosomatic Medicine, 69(7), 587–596. https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0b013e318148c19a
CMHA. (2020). Winter Mental Health: A Guide for Good Practices. Winter Mental Health: - CMHA Edmonton. https://edmonton.cmha.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/CMHA-Edmonton-Winter-Mental-Health-Guide.pdf
Cohen, S., & Wills, T. A. (1985). Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis. Psychological Bulletin, 98(2), 310–357. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.98.2.310
Huang, X., Kong, Q., Huang, Y., Wang, X., Wang, R., Li, Y., Wu, Y., Guan, C., Wan, X., & Zhang, Y. Y. (2024). Relationship between sun exposure and seasonal affective disorder symptoms in rural older people with different personalities: a cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health, 24(1), 2568. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-20074-y
Kambanis, P. E., Bottera, A. R., & De Young, K. P. (2023). Responses to bright light exposure in individuals with binge‐spectrum eating disorders characterized by high dietary restraint and negative affect. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 56(12), 2250–2259. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.24054
Kanazawa, S., Li, N. P., & Yong, J. C. (2022). Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy... especially if I’m less intelligent: how sunlight and intelligence affect happiness in modern society. Cognition & Emotion, 36(4), 722–730. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2022.2029358
Koszycki, D., Ilton, J., Dowell, A., & Bradwejn, J. (2022). Does treatment preference affect outcome in a randomized trial of a mindfulness intervention versus cognitive behaviour therapy for social anxiety disorder? Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 29(2), 652–663. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.2658
Rosenthal, N. E., Sack, D. A., Gillin, J. C., Lewy, A. J., Goodwin, F. K., Davenport, Y., ... & Wehr, T. A. (1984). Seasonal affective disorder: A description of the syndrome and preliminary findings with light therapy. Archives of General Psychiatry, 41(1), 72–80. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.1984.01790120076010
Mental Health Tips To Survive The Holidays
As much as we try, the holidays can be really stressful. Everyone is home and everything should be perfect, right? Well, that’s not always the case. End of year festivities can also throw us off balance, triggering all kinds of emotions that we may not be able to deal with. That’s why it’s important to take a step back, re-evaluate our priorities and figure out what we truly value this season. Here are some helpful tips by your therapist Edmonton to help you survive the holidays
Spend time with people you care about
Whether it’s family, friends or your partner, spend time with the people who help you feel like you matter. Not only will this boost your confidence, but it will also help you be more stress-free. When you’re around people who support you, it’s a lot easier to be at peace with yourself. Give your loved ones the attention they deserve. This especially applies to your family members, as you may be missing the opportunity to strengthen ties with your blood-related kin. Make a point to discuss your goals and dreams with them; it will allow you to connect on a deeper level.
Don’t let social media ruin your mood
Enjoy your family and friends, but don’t let them consume you. You don’t have to post pictures of your meals or your holiday gifts on social media; that’s their purpose, not yours. Take the time to reconnect with people in your life, not through photos. Pull away from social media once you’re home. Even if you don’t want to admit it, it can make you feel depressed and overwhelmed. You can also get caught up in comparisons. While social media has the potential to be a negative influence, it can also be a helpful tool if you keep your perspective in check.
Eat healthy and exercise
Eating healthy is important because it keeps you energized, focused and balanced. Give your body the nutrients it needs to function optimally, and you’ll be less likely to experience stress. Your mood and energy will also improve if you eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly. Find activities that make you happy, and be sure to include some physical activity. It will help you feel balanced and less stressed.
Find activities that make you happy
Seeking out activities that make you happy will help you avoid feeling overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of the holidays. Find an activity that you can spend time doing every day, like knitting, reading, playing music, or something else that you enjoy.
Know when to say no
It’s inevitable that you’ll be invited to events or gatherings that don’t feel right. When this happens, remember that you don’t have to participate in activities you don’t want to. If someone pushes you to do something, you can politely say no. When it comes to family, it’s especially important to know when to say no. Remember, your family is there to support you, not pressure you to do things that you don’t enjoy. If you have to be at a family gathering but you don’t want to be there, just politely excuse yourself.
Conclusion by Your Therapist Edmonton
Hopefully, these tips will help you get through the holidays with less stress and more happiness. Remember that it’s important to take care of yourself, and reach out for support when you need it. Whether you decide to get a pet or find another animal to love, or even spend time with family, you will be better off for it. Maintain a positive mindset, be kind to yourself, and you will be able to make it through the holidays with less stress and more happiness.
Your therapy is a safe, welcoming, counseling practice offering confidential mental health assessment and psychologist treatment in Edmonton. We hope this article brought to you by your trusted therapist Edmonton is helpful. As always, please feel free to reach out with questions about mental wellness and therapy in Edmonton.
Benefits of Deep Breathing
Deep breathing is a relaxation technique that involves taking slow, deep breaths. It happens whether you concentrate on breathing or not, but when you do, amazing things occur. Deep breathing may help relieve tension, anxiety, shallow breathing or sleeping disorders, among other things.
How Stress Responds To Deep Breathing
When the body is under tension, it creates a set of symptoms, including shallow and rapid breathing, elevated heart rate and tense muscles. In this state, it becomes harder to concentrate and to make good decisions. It is also much harder to do so when we are anxious or frightened. Adrenaline and cortisol, for example, are hormones produced in response to stress. However, when they are released in excess, they can impair our judgment and control our emotions in an explosive way.
Relaxation Response To This Technique
When you take deeper and slower breaths, you reduce your nervous system's anxiety symptoms by lowering your heart rate, blood pressure, breaths per minute, and stress chemicals. Deep breathing lowers your heart rate, blood pressure, breaths per minute, and even lowers the amount of stress chemicals in your body. By taking time out of each day to focus on deep breathing, you may help cope with stress, feel calmer, and have more energy. As your heart rate slows, your body knows you are protected and safe, letting your brain focus on the task at hand. This allows your brain to direct all its attention to what you are doing.
How To Practice Deep Breathing
Take five minutes twice a day to practice deep breathing. When you are initially starting out, it’s best to practice deep breathing when you are in a relatively relaxed and calm state. You need to be comfortable breathing this way before attempting to do so when you are already anxious. Once you are comfortable with this deep-breathing technique, you can use it in situations that cause anxiety.
Breathe in slowly through your nose for 4 seconds
Hold the air in your lungs for 4 seconds
Breathe out slowly through your mouth for 4 seconds
Repeat anywhere between 5-20 minutes
Your therapy is a safe, welcoming, counseling practice offering confidential mental health assessment and treatment in Edmonton. We hope this article brought to you by your trusted Edmonton psychologists is helpful. As always, please feel free to reach out with questions about mental wellness and therapy in Edmonton.
5 mental health apps that can help you enhance your mental well-being
It all begins with an idea.
iMobile devices have become an unavoidable part of our daily lives, as we are constantly relying on them to communicate with others, navigate around, capture memories, entertain ourselves, and seek help. Individuals are social beings who are often seeking answers to their questions and solutions to their problems. As a result of the rising prevalence of mental health issues, we turn to social media, especially cellular devices, for help and answers.
Individuals experiencing unforeseen mental health challenges report that technology-based interventions play an important role because of their accessibility and ability to eliminate barriers. Research has proven that mental health apps are a vital supplement of psychological treatment as they help individuals self-manage their conditions. However, the efficacy is determined by two factors. First, the app being used; since each app is targeted towards a specific goal, choosing the right one will give you the best results. Second, the app must be used correctly. Consistency and proper use of the app as a complement to therapy are critical factors in assessing efficacy.
Following is a compilation of mental health apps that can help with a variety of issues. Feel free to use them or discuss which one to use with your psychologists to get the best results.
1. Calm: For relaxation and meditation. Used to improve sleep quality, enhance focus, reduce anxiety or stress, and self-improvement.
2. Moodnotes: Mood trackers and journaling to capture your mood and help improve your thinking habits. Help you empower your mood, develop healthier thinking habits, bring helpful perspectives to situations, and increase self-awareness.
3. Recovery Record: Best practice for individuals experiencing eating disorders. Allows for meaningful collaboration with a health care team, personalizes journal, and celebrates wins with rewards. Ideal results when used in conjugation with therapy.
4. Worry Watch: An anxiety journal that helps capture anxious thoughts with a great level of detail. Supports challenge negative thoughts, triggers, patterns, and provides affirmations with daily or weekly reminders.
5. Breath2relax: Stress management tool provides helpful breathing exercises for individuals such as diaphragmatic breathing.
Information Retrieved from: (Huang & Bashir 2017)
The Sleep-Mental Health Connection: 4 Tips for Getting a Better Night Sleep
It all begins with an idea.
Insomnia is a common sleep condition that affects many people. Inability to perform productively through the day due to a lack of sleep, trouble falling asleep, or sleep fragments. The causes of short-term insomnia such as stress, jet lag, or exam season are more easily recognized and managed through lifestyle changes such as exercise and reduction in screen time. Long-term insomnia is challenging to manage as it lasts for more than 3-weeks and may be a symptom of various mental health conditions.
According to research, there is a bidirectional association between lack of sleep and the onset of mental health problems. Sleep deprivation leads to mental health issues, and mental health issues can lead to insomnia. This bidirectional association is vital to conclude that getting sufficient sleep will result in positive mental health.
There are four stages in the sleep cycle; rapid eye movement (REM) stage 4 is closely related to our mental health. REM sleep is the stage that is associated with learning, making or retaining memories, and emotional information. Therefore, a lack of sleep, especially during this stage, is harmful at consolidating positive emotional content. This is positively correlated with but not limited to an increased chance of anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and an eating disorder.
The following are a few life-style modifications that can help regulate your sleep cycle, but feel free to add in anything that works for you and see a physician if things get serious.
Cut off screen time 1 hour before bed: Blue light has been linked to a reduction in melatonin activity, the hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle. Turning off your phone an hour before bedtime will keep your sleep-wake cycle in check and ensure you get a full night's sleep.
Set a sleep and wake time routine and stick to it: A bedtime and morning routine will help to strengthen the circadian pattern and ensure that our cycle runs smoothly.
Ditch caffeine and drink herbal tea: Chamomile tea is associated with reducing anxiety, stress, and is a strong aid in alleviating insomnia.
Use the 4-7-8 breathing technique. Research has proven that using this technique helps your body relax and unwind resulting in deep sleep.
Step1: First, place the tip of your tongue behind your upper front teeth
Step 2: Exhale completely through your mouth and make a “whoosh” sound
Step 3: Close your mouth, and inhale through your nose while mentally counting to 4
Step 4: Hold your breath, and mentally count to 7
Step 5: Open your mouth and exhale completely, making a “whoosh” sound and mentally counting to 8
Step 6: Repeat this cycle at least three more times
Information Retrieved from (National Alliance of Mental illness)
How to reduce isolation and improve socialization during COVID-19
It all begins with an idea.
Meaningful social interactions and relationships are at the core of human wellbeing. Humans are mammals that are determinants of social interaction; we seek the support of others when feeling lonely, upset, and detached. Currently, we are experiencing one of the most unprecedented times, a time in which we are isolated from our loved ones. During these times we are expected to eliminate physical interaction with close family and friends for the safety of ourselves and others. In these restrictive times, it is normal to feel disconnected and isolated. However, unresolved emotions are positively correlated with elevated levels of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. Acknowledging and accepting your emotions will allow you to better understand yourself, your actions, and it may help you feel more in control.
We have interacted and formed relationships with those around us throughout history, which has benefited our mental and emotional health. Our social support plays a crucial role in our lives when we are hit with a roadblock or feeling depressed, stressed, or worried. Especially considering that we have had no face-to-face contact with people outside of our immediate family for the past year. Attempting to keep our social connections with friends in ways we've never done before has resulted in less social contact and a greater sense of isolation.
Despite the uncertainty of when socialization will start to feel "normal" research has proven that certain types of digital communication can facilitate social connectedness in various ways. The following are a few suggestions but feel free to include anything that works best for you.
Set up a virtual happy hour: Setting up a dedicated time with a friend will help create a sense of co-presence where you feel togetherness even when living apart. During this time grab a drink of your choice and play virtual games, update one another on your life, and share some jokes.
Text messaging: Text messaging has the power to make us feel connected and lean on our close ones. Sending a text message when feeling anxious, sad or disconnected delivers social support in the form of “being there” for someone or “having someone” to lean on.
Going on a safe walk: According to Alberta Health measures, it is safe to go on a walk with a friend while following the correct protocols. Staying 2m apart, wearing masks, and sanitizing will ensure you and your friend are safe.
Seeing a psychologist: Therapy is not exclusively for individuals diagnosed with mental health disorders. You can seek a psychologist to help develop coping strategies when feeling anxious, depressed, or isolated.
The most powerful form of love is self-love
It all begins with an idea.
It is inevitable for us as humans to seek love from others. Love, in the form of acceptance, appreciation or approval. From birth until now, we have been receiving love in various forms from those around us. Love in the form of Philia, Pragma, Familiar, Eros, Ludus, Mania, Philautia, or Agape. Each form of love holds its special meaning, just like in a dozen roses where each bloom holds a different meaning. But, what about self-love?
Self-love is the most undervalued but most significant type of love. Love helps us appreciate ourselves as a result of acts that benefit our physical and mental health. Self-love means selflessly prioritizing our needs, accepting our imperfections, valuing our feeling, holding ourselves accountable and so on. The meaning of self-love various as we all have different ways to care for ourselves. But the core to self-love is patience. Patience, to acknowledge that self-love is a lifelong journey and that gratification comes from persistence.
There are three stages in the journey of self-love: acknowledgement, acceptance, and action.
Stage 1: Acknowledgement, which is the realization that you want to prioritize yourself, selflessly spend time with yourself and be the best version of yourself. This is the most difficult, but most important, first step. Which will be experienced at a different time in life for everyone.
Stage 2: Acceptance, which has much higher energy than stage one, is characterized by ambition and determination. It’s the stage to acknowledge your imperfections, fears, shortcoming and weakness. During this stage, we must be mindful that we are not expected to be perfect and nor do we have to pretend to be.
Stage 3: Action, during this stage, we are ready to incorporate activities that are primarily focused on ourselves into our daily routines. The following are a few activities you can incorporate to reach self-love but feel free to include anything that works best for you.
