A message from Dr. Nolan Hop Wo, Medical Officer, Mental Wellness, Office of the Chief Medical Officer; and Duanna Johnston-Virgo, Executive Director, Mental Health & Wellness
For many First Nations people, winter is traditionally a time of quietness and reflection. Families and communities use the shorter days and time indoors to recharge, connect, share stories, and pass on wisdom and teachings.
Winter is also the time of year when our mental health may be lower than usual. This is due to factors such as fewer daylight hours, colder temperatures, and weather conditions that may limit outdoor activities.
It is normal to experience variation in how we are feeling through the different seasons. We may notice patterns in our moods that change with the seasonal cycles, e.g., feeling lower in the darker winter months and more energized in spring and summer. Some people even experience Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a type of depression characterized by low mood, loss of energy, disrupted sleep, poor concentration, and changes in how they function.
As Indigenous (First Nations and Métis) mental health professionals, we have some tips that may help you feel better during the winter months – bearing in mind that as mental health and wellness is interconnected with physical, spiritual, and emotional health, each must be taken care of to maintain a healthy balance. (Note: If you are having serious mental health issues, please reach out to a professional at the links following this message.)
Tips for wholistic mental health and wellness during winter months:
Mental wellness
- Ensure you have a support network of friends, family, and colleagues around you, and talk to someone when you feel unable to cope in a healthy way. Check in on others – it may not be obvious when they are having challenges.
- Plan activities you can look forward to, e.g., a call with family, a virtual coffee date with a friend, a walk with a neighbour, or a virtual game night with friends.
- Ask if your workplace has supports available for employees.
Physical wellness
- Try out fun and rejuvenating winter activities such as skating, tobogganing, cross-country / down-hill skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing or snowmobiling. Movement is medicine too!
- Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.
- It is best to avoid alcohol, as it is a depressant. But if you do consume alcohol, follow Canada's Guidance on Alcohol and Health.
- Talk to your practitioner about which coping strategies might work well for you, e.g., medication, vitamins, light therapy, increased movement/exercise.
Spiritual wellness
- Gather with other community/family members or friends to participate in cultural activities like crafting/beading, drumming, singing, or dancing.
- Spend time outside each day. Being out on the land is good medicine, even if you have to bundle up!
- Check out your local library's selection of books, including those by Indigenous writers. Some ideas: True Reconciliation: How to Be a Force for Change or Indian in the Cabinet: Speaking Truth to Power by BC's own Jody Wilson-Raybould (We Wai Kai Nation), or any from this list.
Emotional wellness
- Have your dinners by candlelight to enhance the ambience.
- Soak in a bath with Epsom salts or bath bombs.
- Make hot soups or drinks, or your favourite comfort food.
- Tackle hobbies like beading, sewing, drawing, photography or painting. Or complete a project you've been putting off!
- Listen to your favourite music and make a playlist of your favourite songs.
- Get as much sunlight as you can. When inside, stay near the windows and let in the natural light. You can also try using a “happy light."
Mental Health Resources and Supports
If you are feeling desperate or that life is not worth living, please reach out to your local crisis centre for suicide prevention at www.suicideprevention.ca/in-crisis-now/find-a-crisis-centre-now/ or call 211 / visit www.211.ca.
There is a list of culturally safe mental health supports and services available to you.
If you do not have a primary care provider, you can contact the FNHA's Virtual Doctor of the Day (VDOD). VDOD can also refer you to the FNHA's Virtual Substance Use and Psychiatry Service.
For help involving substances, there are treatment centres within BC that are familiar with integrating both traditional First Nations teachings and medicines with Western-style approaches. See this list of centres.
See the FNHA's Mental Health Providers' Map.
See the FNHA's Mental Health Benefits Page.
