“When I feel stressed or anxious I love to just head out for a walk and get immersed in nature. I will wander around my neighbourhood, check out cool houses, pretty gardens, or find a park with some trees, water or a bench to just chill and "Be Present." I find water really grounding. Other times I will pick up my sketchbook and just visually journal everything going on in my mind through art. This process gets my thoughts out onto a page in visual form and out of my head, allowing me to process them. It is about self-expression, not "perfection" and no one needs to see this sketchbook but me.”

May 3-9, 2021 marks Mental Health Week. As we’re roughly one year into the pandemic, adverse effects are being felt more commonly than usual during periods of isolation and uncertainty, leading to increased levels of anxiety and/or depression. Almost 38 per cent of Canadians, according to Statistics Canada, have reported that “due the COVID-19 pandemic, they experienced feelings of loneliness or isolation”1. With tighter restrictions and social distancing rules, many have faced long periods of screen time due to working from home or attending school digitally. While the impact of increased screen time on mental and general health is unknown, a study done by Statistics Canada reported that “avoiding excessive screen time and engaging in exercise, particularly outdoors, were important behaviours associated with better perceived mental and general health” during the pandemic2.

In an effort to boost the importance of reducing screen time and promote healthy ways to unplug, the Antyx team is sharing how they unplug when faced with an increasingly digital environment. #AntyxUnplugged

Sources:

1 https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/210318/dq210318a-eng.htm

2https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/82-003-x/2020006/article/00001-eng.htm

#AntyxUnplugged - Stephanie