Your help is vital to saving lives. Be a hero today. Donations of money or time can make a big difference to a small local charity like SRWC Wellness Centre. For over 25 years, SRWC has helped people from all walk of life find their personal recovery path. SRWC supports recovery and harm reduction for substance abuse, addictions, and other mental health issues. You can donate over the phone by calling SRWC at 204-956-6650 ext. 101, by Visa, or mail a check or a money order to: St. Raphael Wellness Centre Inc. 2nd floor, 225 Vaughan Street Winnipeg, MB, R3C 1T7. Donations can also be completed online.
Community News
Meet Your Practitioner
Lesley Steppler is a Registered Social Worker, Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Certified Integrative Mental Health Provider, Certified Mind Surgery Method Coach, and Neuro-Linguistic Programming Practitioner, and is trained in Mental and Emotional Release at the Practitioner level. She is also the founder of Shine True Wellness Co., where she integrates nutritional knowledge with her counselling background to help clients see how the gut and brain are connected and teaches them resiliency. Using this holistic and integrative approach means Lesley can get to the root of clients’ symptoms and get them the mental health and overall well-being results they want and need.
Acupuncture for Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is a musculoskeletal disorder with symptoms such as fatigue, chronic and diffuse pain, cognitive impairment, and sleep difficulties. It can affect people of any age and gender, although adult women seem to be most affected. The complexity of the disorder can make it difficult to diagnose and treat. Acupuncture can be a good pain management option for fibromyalgia patients, as it stimulates natural pain-relieving mechanisms in the body and has little to no side effects. A 2018 trial suggested that acupuncture causes changes in the levels of two neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) that are key to fibromyalgia. Acupuncture appears to increase serotonin and decrease substance P, which can improve fibromyalgia symptoms.
Little BALLERS
Early Childhood Development Program. Young children are energetic, curious, imaginative, and capable. Little BALLERS is a place where kids thrive!! Their program is strategically designed to be developmentally appropriate and to highlight the way young children think and learn. Basketball hoops and basketballs are age and size appropriate, so each child feels comfortable and gets the most out of each activity. Session formats and high teacher-to-student ratios provide consistency and individualized attention. Little BALLERS sessions feature early learning basics such as counting, colours, matching, oral comprehension, and imaginative play in a pressure-free, fun environment. The result is increased confidence and an introduction to the foundations of physical literacy.
Practicing Self-care
Practicing self-care is a simple way to support positive mental health. Bradley University explains, there is a direct connection between physical and emotional health, it should come as no surprise that many everyday self-care activities support both.
Sleep
A lack of sleep has been associated with memory impairment, irritability, mood swings, and an increased risk for developing anxiety or depression. That’s why it is so important to develop a nightly routine that helps encourage falling and staying asleep. Avoid technology and bright lights for an hour or so before you head to bed. Turn the thermostat in your bedroom down several degrees. It sends a signal to the body that it’s time to slow down.
Stress Reduction
Establishing a daily stress relief practice is a great way to feel better both physically and emotionally. Mindful meditation, which has been shown to reduce stress and relieve anxiety, has become a prevalent choice. There is also evidence that it can help moderate depressive symptoms and the effects of ADHD.
Time management is another part of stress relief. Think about it for a minute: If you are constantly running from one thing to the next, do you really have time to care for yourself?
Learn how to tactfully say no to requests on your time that will cause undue stress. You might be surprised at how empowering it can be.
Proper Nutrition
Food is the best way to get your nutrients, making eating a balanced diet is one of the most important self-care practices you can adopt.
Natural Remedies and Supplements
Many people turn to natural remedies to alleviate stress and anxiety, both crucial to maintaining mental health. For example, CBD is widely used to boost moods, melatonin encourages better sleep, and turmeric reduces inflammation. Remember that despite being natural, many of these products are also quite powerful. Be sure to talk with your health care provider about any possible interactions if you currently take medications.
Self-care is a critical component of maintaining mental health. By incorporating activities such as taking a supplement, eating a balanced diet, and getting enough sleep, you can help reduce the effects of stress on the body. These strategies can also help boost mental health by mitigating symptoms such as anxiety and depression for many people.
Barb’s Story
Twelve years ago, when I walked into MDAM I was looking for a reason not to end my life. A volunteer found a quiet space for us to talk, he let me talk, cry, say all the fears, past traumas all the things that I had been terrified to say out loud. He didn’t judge me or try to fix me, he just let me talk until I got it all out. Then he gave me a list of meetings they had going on and told me I was welcome to attend whenever I was ready or drop in just to talk one-on-one with someone. No pressure, no false promises, just a place to go. I started going to groups, made some friends, eventually started to volunteer. MDAM saved my life and changed my life.
Volunteer Opportunities
This edition Wellnessnews Choices for Healthy Living® edition is sponsored in support of The Mood Disorders Association of Manitoba.
Volunteer Opportunities
Are you interested in volunteering with MDAM? Volunteers are integral to the creation and ongoing maintenance of MDAM’s programming. MDAM offers several opportunities for anyone interested in providing support and education directly to our clients. How to apply? Please send an email with the title, your resume and region at [email protected]. Please note a criminal record check, vulnerable sector check and child abuse registry check will be required.
Get Relief From Your Allergies
Spring is finally here, and that means seasonal allergies will be on the rise. Seasonal allergies develop when the immune system overreacts to something in the environment, like mold spores or pollen. For people struggling with seasonal allergies, this is a difficult time of the year. Luckily, in the past few years, pharmacists have been granted the ability to prescribe a number of over-the-counter and prescription products to minimize the severity of your symptoms. Talk to a pharmacist today to learn about non-drug, and prescription products to help combat your seasonal allergies. Spring is meant to be enjoyed, so don’t let allergies bring you down.
Ask Dr. Tyler Anderson OD
Q. Can I wear contacts if I have seasonal allergies?
A. Many contact lens wearers with allergies seem to encounter discomfort during certain times of the year, due largely to allergens in the air that become adhered to contact lenses. Here are a few tips to keep your eyes comfortable: Keep irritated eyes moist with artificial tears. The artificial tears will also dilute the irritants out of your eyes. Daily disposable contact lenses are generally recommended for contact lens wearers who suffer from eye allergies. These contact lenses are replaced each day and help to eliminate any concern of allergen accumulation on the surface of your contact lens.
Vibroacoustic Therapy
Dr. Lee Bartel’s TEDx talk at Collingwood, Ontario gives an excellent overview of the current state of vibroacoustic medical research. Dr. Bartel explains how scientifically developed sound played through Vibroacoustic devices helps reduces the symptoms of Fibromyalgia pain, Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, Depression, and increase blood flow. The Sound Oasis Vibroacoustic Therapy System plays back nature, music and sleep therapy sounds with Delta, Alpha or Theta brainwaves to coax your brain to match these frequencies, thus entering states of sleep, relaxation or renewal. Vibroacoustic Therapy provides massage therapy to muscles and joints that hand/mechanical massage can not reach.
The Four Horsemen of Life
What does it mean to live in the fullness of your masculine heart? Well. this month we dive into Jungian work as we explore four archetypes of the masculine. Based on the work by Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette in their seminal book King, Warrior, Magician, Lover we explore what the mature masculine looks, feels and acts like. We do so because once we harness the energy that these four horsemen bring into our lives, we are then able to raise the level we show up as fathers, husbands, brothers and leaders. Join us on April 12th and 26th to learn where you are out of alignment with these powerful archetypes.
