Today is Bell Let’s Talk Day – a day designed to break the silence around mental illness and share information about mental health services. Today and every day, mental health matters.
The winter months – and the ongoing global pandemic – can have an impact on our mental health, leaving many people feeling blue.
Your doctor or primary care provider is a great resource for mental healthcare and can refer you to programs and supports available. To help maintain mental wellness on a day-to-day basis, the Niagara Health Mental Health and Addictions team offers the following tips:
- Maintain connections: Stay in touch with friends and loved ones, even virtually.
- Reflect: Identify what it is you’re worried about and ask yourself if it is under your control or not. Focus on the things you can control.
- Keep to a routine: Wake up at the same time each day, eat well and get a good night’s sleep.
- Get fresh air: Go for a walk or try another form of exercise.
- Do breathing exercises: Put a hand on your stomach and take a deep breath in for four seconds and breathe out for four seconds.
- Journal: Chronicle moments of hope and gratitude. It will help you focus on the good in your day.
If these coping strategies are not working to help you feel better, you may need to contact your doctor or primary care provider. If you can’t reach your primary care provider, here are options to seek care in Niagara:
- Mental Health and Addictions Access Line provides support for adult residents of Niagara facing addiction and mental health concerns: 1-866-550-5205
- Kids Help Phone is Canada's only 24/7 national support service offering confidential counselling in English and French: 1-800-668-6868
- Pathstone Mental Health, 18 years and under: 1-800-263-4944
- Distress Centre Niagara provides free, 24/7 confidential support to anyone in need in Niagara:
- St. Catharines, Niagara Falls And Area – 905-688-3711
- Port Colborne, Welland, Wainfleet and Area – 905-734-1212
- Fort Erie and Area – 905-382-0689
- Grimsby, West Lincoln – 905-563-6674
Seek health care immediately if you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis – when they are at risk of hurting themselves or others. Call 9-1-1 or go to the Emergency Department immediately.
Niagara Health's Mental Health and Addictions Program supports individuals seeking help for mental health and addictions through seamless care extending across Niagara Health and into the community.
In partnership with community organizations, the Mental Health and Addictions Program offers services that promote recovery through timely access to quality, evidence-informed care that reflects the physical, emotional, spiritual, cultural and social needs of all patients and families seeking help for mental health and addictions.
Learn about Niagara Health's Mental Health and Addictions Program here.
