Mental Health Awareness Week – May 4 to 10
Stronger connections. Better mental health.
Social connection is essential to overall health and well-being. But too many people are feeling alone. In Canada, millions of people say they feel lonely often or always.
This May 4-10, CMHA is inviting people across Canada to Come Together. It’s a call to spark small, everyday actions of connection, and to recognize the role we all play in supporting mental health through connection.
Social connection can take many forms. It might look like sharing a meal with someone you love, calling a friend, or exchanging a few words with a stranger. These moments of connection happen all around us, every day. And they matter more than we think.
Human beings are social animals. Our very survival and ability to thrive depends on how we interact with others. Research show that strong social support is linked to:
- Higher rates of well-being
- Greater safety and resilience
- Increased prosperity
- Longer life expectancy
Having good social support has also been found to lead to positive health outcomes, a sense of purpose, belonging, security, and self-worth. It also increases access to health-promoting resources and behaviours. In practice this means our ability to recognize when we need to reach out for help when we need it and where to find it and doing day-to-day things that help improve our mental health and well-being.
At RRC Polytech, the Campus Well Being team encourages you come together with fellow staff and students to build stronger connections for better mental health. What can you do?
- Follow Campus Well Being on Instagram @rrcwellbeing
- Join the Campus Mental Health Specialist for “Together We Move” Lunch Time Wellness Walk
- Gather at 12:15 pm in A104 at EDC for a showing of “My Depression – The Up and Down of It.” A 30 minute animated musical comedy created to help shed some light on this difficult and stigmatized topic.
- learn more about the Canadian Mental Health Association and Mental Health Awareness Week.
Sources
Canadian Mental Health Association
World Psychiatry, 23.3, 2024.