Systemic changes needed to promote mental wellness, says expert
Posted October 10, 2023 7:08 pm.
Oct. 10 is World Mental Health Day, and the executive director of the BC Alliance for Healthy Living says it’s a great opportunity to have those conversations about what more needs to be done to support mental wellness.
Rita Koutsodimos says systemic changes are needed to build a robust mental health support system.
“My colleagues at the Canadian Mental Health Association speak about the fact that — if you’ve got a broken elbow — there’s a system that you can enter, and there are professionals that will help you with your broken elbow,” she said. “We need the equivalent system for mental illness as well, where people can access services, and there is a very straightforward path in terms of who to see.”
Koutsodimos says more needs to be understood about the social determinants of mental health.
“There’s there’s a lot more that we can be doing as as well in terms of promoting health and wellness and in our schools and and in our communities,” she said.
“So things like income, poverty, conflict, racism, inequality, even our neighbourhoods, those all contribute to poor mental health,” she said. “And so we need to think about those as a society and what we can do to create better social conditions so that everyone can lead you to a better life.”
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In terms of what we can do in our daily lives to support our own mental health, Koutsodimos suggests people start by doing simple things like making sure to move regularly.
“There’s great research that shows that even just doing 15 minutes a day will help boost your mood and mood and help you deal with everyday stressors,” she said.
Getting a good sleep, eating fruits and vegetables, meditating, and getting outside into nature are also helpful, she says. As well, keeping in contact with others is very important.
“There’s a lot of great research that shows being social, whether that’s getting together with friends or connecting with your community, all of those will help protect your mental wellness, and help you help with your ability to cope and deal with stress and experience positive mental well being,” Koutsodimos said.
Another important factor, she says, is to be kind.
“It’s important to be kind to others because you don’t know what somebody else is going through and what they’re experiencing … but it’s also important to be kind to yourself, to make sure that you’re you’re giving yourself some kind words and kind thoughts as well.”
