COVID THROUGH THE AGES How does age impact our mental health?
Sue-Ann Maislin has a master’s degree in Counselling Psychology and Adult Education from the University of Toronto and a post-graduate certificate in Workplace Wellness and Health Promotion from Centennial College.
If you’re like most Canadians, you might find yourself
and Mental Health report that inappropriate coping
at least somewhat more anxious, restless and
strategies and risk-taking behaviours, like overeating,
distracted since the start of COVID-19. Perceptions
increased substance use, and problem gambling
about mental health are changing. The public and
have increased. It’s no wonder, given the constant
world experts believing that we are headed for a
uncertainty, distancing norms and conflicting
mental health crisis in the coming months. There’s
information about the virus.
1
worry about what the future will look like and the impact COVID-19 will have on older and younger generations. It’s been at least five months since the start of the pandemic in Canada, and many of us are still worried about getting sick with the coronavirus and the effect it will have on our friends, family, colleagues, and the economy. The Canadian Mental Health Association and the Centre for Addiction
14
By Sue-Ann Maislin
SIDEONE SEPTEMBER 2020
STRESSFUL ALERTS Our screens are flooded daily with stressful news alerts about COVID-19, and stepping outside the house to go to work, do a little shopping or meet a friend for coffee might feel like walking into a minefield. Issues like high rates of unemployment, how to best restart our troubled economy, and how to get our children back to school top the list of
