Saturday marks International Self-Care Day
Posted July 23, 2021 9:47 pm.
Last Updated July 23, 2021 9:51 pm.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — While many feel we are living in stressful times, mental health experts are suggesting we take a moment this Saturday to mark International Self-Care Day by taking stock and finding ways to reset ourselves.
Describing the day as more than just chocolates and bubble baths, Jonny Morris with the Canadian Mental Health Association says Self-Care Day is particularly important this year as we begin to emerge from the pandemic, but continue to cope with broadly traumatic events.
He says analysis they’ve done alongside the University of British Columbia shows the past year has been a strain on many.
Tonight on @CityNewsVAN @NEWS1130 — we're talking about the importance of #InternationalSelfCareDay. We're catching up w/@CMHABC's Jonny Morris, who explains why it's become so important in a year that's been taxing on mental health. #iselfcare #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/1pEAsCFglb
— Ria Renouf ???? (@riarenouf) July 24, 2021
“60 per cent of people who live with a mental health problem, have experienced a worsening of their mental health overall. 40 per cent of Canadians said that their mental health had been impacted, and that showed up in British Columbia too.”
Morris notes the strain of the world around us, like forest fires and climate change, may seem daunting, but suggests it doesn’t need to overwhelm you.
“Prioritizing self care can help us at an individual level experience greater resiliency have room to maneuver in our lives.”
Morris says groups which have been particularly hard-hit by the mental strain of the pandemic are young adults aged 18 to 25, racialized individuals and those living with a disability.
