It is mental health week and the Canadian Mental Health Association – Nova Scotia Division (CMHA-NS) says this year’s theme is “unmasking”.

Mental Health Week is an awareness campaign held every year by the CMHA-NS during the first full week of May.

Erin Christie, lead of communications, tells our newsroom masking is essentially when you pretend to be ok, when you’re really not.

“Overworking to avoid emotions, agreeing with people to avoid conflict [and] downplaying your achievements to minimize your success,” says Christie.

She says, people do these things in fear of judgement or to “meet societal expectations” as a way of coping, and it is all bad for your mental health.

“It takes a toll, you know, pretending to be okay when you’re not all the time. Imagine what that does to your insides,” adds Christie.

Understanding yourself and who you are as well as having your needs met, Christie says, is what it really comes down to.

Other ways to improve mental health

There are some basic practices, Christie says, to improve your mental health that most of us have already heard about.

“Getting enough sleep, working, some form of exercise…I think it’s 20 minutes a day…to get your heart rate up, eating,” says Christie.

“You need to have enough food and water, a safe and affordable place to live. You need to be able to work if you want to and have a safe workplace.”

In addition to those, she adds, try to be compassionate and truly listen when you ask someone how they are doing.

“Building connections. When you’re calling a friend, you don’t have to talk about anything really heavy, just making sure you have those connections in your life,” adds Christie.