“Wellness is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” – The World Health Organization.
The following resources have been gathered to support members in their wellness journey.
Wellness Together Canada
Wellness Together Canada was funded by the Government of Canada in response to the unprecedented rise in mental distress due to the COVID-19 pandemic. People are being challenged like never before due to isolation, physical health concerns, substance use concerns, financial and employment uncertainty, and the emotional dialogue around racial equality. We are all going through this together, and we believe that mental health is a journey, not a destination. Each day, we can take a step for our own wellbeing. Wellness Together Canada is here to support everybody on that journey.
MindWell for Healthcare Workers, provided by Wellness Together Canada, is designed for healthcare workers by healthcare workers to give you the tools you need to feel confident and capable, remain calm amidst chaos and build overall resilience and well-being so you can perform at your best no matter what is happening around you. Short, simple, and effective lessons are provided in 4 weekly modules designed to give you maximum results in the least amount of time.
In partnership with the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU) another free mental wellness courses for healthcare workers has been added. The next course starts on November 1, registration due November 5.
Online Therapy Unit
Provincially funded service for Saskatchewan residents who are experiencing mental health difficulties, including depression and anxiety. Trained therapists support participants as they complete five online modules over an 8-week period. This service is led by the Online Therapy Unit at the University of Regina, and is delivered for free for Saskatchewan residents in partnership with the Saskatchewan Health Authority.
The Wellbeing Course aims to provide free education and guidance on simple but effective techniques for managing depression and/or anxiety. The Course helps people with thoughts, behaviours, and physical symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Wellness & Self-Care Apps
Better Help
This app is the world’s largest therapy platform, and provides convenient and discreet access to a licensed therapist for a weekly fee.
Yoga Studio
This app allows you to practice yoga literally anywhere—you download classes instead of streaming them so you can watch without an Internet connection.
Gaia Yoga
This app focuses on merging mindfulness and spirituality with your yoga practice. Although, even if that is not your thing, you’re still bound to find a video that you like since Gaia’s video library includes over 8,000 workouts.
5 Minute Yoga
Each class consists of five postures, which you do for one minute each. The app uses a timer to count down each asana so you can stay in the (brief) moment without checking your watch.
Yoga for Beginners
This app offers hand-crafted and newbie-friendly yoga workouts that are not too challenging.
Headspace
You can try Headspace for yourself and learn the essentials of meditation and mindfulness with their free Basics course. If you enjoy it, then it’s time to subscribe. Once you do, you’ll have bite-sized minis for when you’re short on time, exercises to add extra mindfulness to your day, and hundreds of meditations on everything from stress to sleep.
Calm
The Calm app aims to make you just that: Calm in all senses of the word. You will learn how to master your breathing and reduce stress and anxiety. You can choose mediations that vary in length from three to 25 minutes, so you can fit them into your schedule accordingly, and topics include managing stress, deep sleep, and self-esteem — among many others.
Breathe2Relax
This app begins with a video explaining diaphragmatic breathing. When stressed or anxious users can start the breathing tool which has both a visual and audio component guiding them through 16 deep breaths.
Mindfulness Coach
Mindfulness Coach helps users understand and adopt a simple mindfulness practice, which can help reduce stress, improve emotional balance and help with anxiety and depression. Created by the US Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD to help veterans and service members but can be used by a wider audience.
PTSD Coach Canada
PTSD Coach Canada can help users learn about and manage their PTSD symptoms, and includes education, self-assessment tools and resources. The app is based on the PTSD Coach app from US Veterans Affairs and adapted by Veterans Affairs Canada with assistance from the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA). Originally developed for military personnel but can be used widely.
CBT-i Coach
With a focus on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for insomnia, CBT-i Coach includes a number of tools for managing, monitoring and learning about sleep schedules. Originally developed by the U.S. Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD for military personnel and veterans, it can also be used by a wider audience.