AHS celebrates Mental Health Week

Mental Health Awareness Week is May 7 to 11

Mental Health Awareness Week is celebrated each year at the beginning of May to promote positive mental health for everyone. Albertans are encouraged to share how they practise positive mental health through their Facebook and Twitter pages.

Practising gratitude can promote positive mental well-being. According to research, making a conscious effort to be grateful affects people in a number of ways:

Physical

• Stronger immune systems.
• Less bothered by aches and pains.
• Lower blood pressure.
• More active and more likely to take better care of one’s health.
• Longer sleeps and more refreshed upon waking.

Psychological

• Higher levels of positive emotions.
• More alert, alive and awake.
• More joy and pleasure.
• More optimism and happiness.

Social

• More helpful, generous, and compassionate.
• More forgiving.
• More outgoing.
• Less lonely and isolated.

Adopting five natural ways to well-being helpscope with stress and maintains a positive outlook.

These natural ways to wellness include:

1. Get active outside. It’s as simple as going for a walk.
2. Be mindful of what is around you. It’s the new way to stop and smell the roses.
3. Keep learning. There’s always something new to discover in the great outdoors.
4. Give. Plant a garden and share your produce with others.
5. Connect with nature. Go for a hike and listen to the wind in the trees.

You’ll find more online resources here:

• Addiction and Mental Health
• Ways to Wellness
• Help in Tough Times
• AHS_behealthy
• AHS Facebook

Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for more than four million adults and children living in Alberta. Its mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans.

- 30 -