Mental Health: Tips for Maintaining Balance

(NC) The holidays can be a stressful time of year, between parties, shopping and visiting with relatives. Once the festivities are done, it can also be easy to feel down that there’s nothing to look forward to. Help keep your mental health in check this time of year with these simple tips.

Be mindful about screen time. Using smartphones and computers is a fact of modern life, so it would be unrealistic to suggest avoiding them completely. But make sure you’re actually enjoying your screen time or using it to be productive, and disconnect when this isn’t the case. Try an app that tracks your screen time to find out how much time you’re really spending on each app, and make an informed decision if you’d rather be spending your time on something else.

Practise a healthier lifestyle. Do you lack energy? You’ll be surprised at the difference eating better makes.  Go with the 80/20 rule on your plate — 80 percent fruit and vegetables and 20 percent protein. To add some pep to your plate, think about herbs and spices.

Exercise also helps you maintain good physical and mental health. According to Statistics Canada surveys, only one in five young people 18 to 34 years of age get the recommended 150 minutes of physical activity each week. Be active and your body and mind will thank you for it.

Set goals in every area of your life. We’re all familiar with goals in our professional life, whether it’s taking that next step in our career or updating our skills with a new course. But it’s just as important to make goals in other areas, like family, friends and relaxation. Some positive goals could be: spend more time with family, set aside 30 minutes a day to do something you really love, or taking a walk during your lunch break.

Read about other topics of interest, including more tips for maintaining balance, and find out how responding to StatCan surveys can benefit you at statcan.gc.ca/mycommunity.