Cognitive health is crucial to maintaining a full, content life — be vigilant for indicators of illness and reach out if assistance is required.
The brain is arguably the most complex organ in the body. With little understanding about how it actually works, people sometimes undervalue the importance of mental wellness.
Controlling essential functions like communication, problem-solving, productivity, decision-making, and emotions, it’s imperative to support adequate brain health. There are preventative measures that can be taken to stay cognitively fit — the biggest one being to care for the rest of the body by eating and sleeping well. Physical activity, reducing stress, and expressing one’s feelings are also beneficial.
Controlling essential functions like communication, problem-solving, productivity, decision-making, and emotions, it’s imperative to support adequate brain health.
Unfortunately, maintaining brain health can be difficult or amplified by external factors. In fact, one in five Canadians experience mental illness every year*. Given its prevalence, it’s essential to be familiar with the varying types, indicators, and available treatments.
Learn the facts
People may unintentionally miss the signs and symptoms as they can be difficult to pinpoint. They can include changes in mood and normal habits, confusion, excessive fears, fatigue, detachment from reality, and an inability to cope with daily stresses.
Depression, anxiety, eating disorders, or other dissociative disorders are some mental health afflictions that can vary in severity from mild to serious. Addiction and substance use are other conditions impacting brain health, where behaviours may include a loss of frequency control and increased compulsion. Someone who’s struggling needs to have access to the resources necessary for them to heal safely and effectively.
Fortunately, the importance of self-care and mind-related wellness is being normalized. If you or a loved one need help with mental health, substance abuse or problem gambling, ConnexOntario is your first step to discovering support and services near you. Their hope is a province where all people in Ontario are connected to mental health and addictions support where, when and how they need it.
Here to help
Their free and confidential services are available 24/7. You can reach a live agent by texting 247247, calling their toll free phone number or reaching them by email. Online, they’re a hub of data and articles for those looking to educate themselves on certain ailments, preventative care, or what to do next. Services are available to anyone — for the person calling or on behalf of a loved one.
As Ontario’s most comprehensive community database, ConnexOntario can put callers in touch with thousands of resources. These include 31 programs for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, 211 for eating disorders, and 191 related to problem gambling — just to name a few. Aside from treatment services, ConnexOntario provides community-based details about distress centres, crisis lines, self-help groups, and family services.
ConnexOntario wants people to prioritize their mental wellness, learn about signs and symptoms, take preventative measures, and reach out if they need care. It’s never too late to take the first step towards a healthier, fulfilling life.
Call 1.866.531.2600, chat with us online at connexontario.ca, and text us at 247247.
* Leading a movement to drive change. CAMH. (n.d.). Retrieved March 1, 2023, from https://www.camh.ca/en/driving-change
