Prolonged winter impacting mental health

When you are storm stayed by bad weather, Brenda Main says, “the walls start to close in on you.”

Main, who is with the Kings branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), advises ‘self care’ when winter lasts too long. “Pay attention to your eating and sleeping and physical activity. That’s mental health care,” she said.

In January staff at the Kings branch got devices to count how much they move. According to Main, the goal is 10,000 steps a day.

She says pets, if you have them, are important for the unconditional love they provide.

“Do something for yourself,” Main said. “Look for ways to be social and to get physically active. Dancing is wonderful.”

She added that Valley residents are lucky because reasonably priced activities, like bowling, are available.

Anyone who is taking medication and starting to feel depressed should talk to their physician, Main advised.

She said the CMHA aims to offer programs during the winter for those experiencing mental illness and poverty, but it’s hard to “get out when the roads aren’t safe to walk on.”

Social media involvement isn’t as positive as face to face connection, but Main says it is better than feeling winter isolation.