In order to maintain your mental health, follow your health care provider’s advice. As your medical condition gets better, or when the symptoms are no longer a problem, it can be tempting to stop the medication or counselling. But sudden stops to medication can lead to relapse. Therefore, changes to a treatment plan should only be made in consultation with your health care provider.
Here are some tips that may help you maintain your mental health:
- Stick to a regular sleep schedule and ensure you are getting seven to eight hours of sleep per night
- Keep up with proper and healthy nutrition
- Stay active
- Do not isolate yourself
- Find activities that you enjoy and make participation a priority
- Know your stress triggers
- Embrace the support of friends, family and co-workers
- Follow your physician’s medical recommendations and prescriptions
Resilience is a person’s ability to recover from difficulties and stressors. It is the ability to be strong and adaptable after something negative happens.
There are many resources that can help you consider your habits and motivators, and assist with the development of strategies for staying strong, optimistic and well.
Living with mental illness
Recovery and living with mental illness is an ongoing journey.
Other resources
The mood Gym
Learn cognitive behaviour therapy skills for preventing and coping with depression.
Positive Psychology and the Science of Happiness
Website to guide you to Bringing the science of happiness of life
Canadian Recovery Inventory
This resource centre created by the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) includes more than 1,000 recovery-oriented policies, programs, practices, and research articles, as well as personal accounts. It allows users to search by keyword, resource type, topic, geographic location, and language to find resources relevant to their needs and interests.
One of the ways to improve personal resilience in the workplace is to create small SMART goals every step of the way in your recovery. SMART goals are defined as being specific, measurable, achievable, results-focused, and time-bound.
Creating these types of goals will allow you to experience accomplishment and success, and help you avoid becoming overwhelmed by large plans. Be sure to acknowledge and appreciate all of your achievements as you work towards your larger goal.
- The Canadian Mental Health Association has developed a program to help employers and employees understand and address mental health issues at work. For more information about personal stories, videos, supports and strategies check out the Mental Health Works site.
There are also small things that you can do on a daily basis to help maintain balance. For example:
- Take small breaks, as your work structure allows
- Get up and stretch
- Spend coffee breaks and lunch with co-workers away from your desk