Do you feel like your life is just GO GO GO? I’ve been thinking a lot lately about REST. We mostly think about rest as sleep (which is super important and most of us don’t get enough of!) but there are other types of physical rest as well. Let's explore a few of them: 1. Sleep Do you sleep well? Sleep is such an important part of a healthy mind and body. Feel like you aren't being productive if you spend more time sleeping? Think again. Sleep is critical to brain function

What can you do when you feel really overwhelmed or when your brain feels like it’s spinning through a million thoughts a second? Here’s a really simple trick that I love to use and has gotten great feedback from the self care community as well. If you aren't already hanging out over there, please join us ! When I start to feel overwhelmed, I’ll often do a “brain dump” . Here's how it works: 1. Grab a piece of paper or a notebook (nothing fancy) and start writing down everyt

I loved this conversation with DeeAnne Feltham-Scott and Cathy Barrett Brinson from WorkplaceNL about mental health, stress management and burnout prevention. Be sure to listen and let me know what you think! Mental health is a concern for working Canadians. 70% report that work impacts their mental health, and 78% report that poor mental health is the primary reason for missing work. Join us as we discuss the various ways we can prevent stress and burnout with Alison Butler

With more things coming at us at work than maybe ever before, one of the things many of us struggle with is the constant distraction of our technology or the feeling that we always need to be "on". This is something that I often work on with workplace teams and 1-1 clients as it can really help with productivity, feeling like you have more time in your day, time management and so much more. Here are 3 easy tips to reduce screen time and eliminate distractions that I have imp

"I attended virtual mental health first aid training with Alison last year and I was really happy I took the course! The content was interesting, practical and well laid out over a 2 day period. Alison was great at keeping us all engaged … I think that it’s important to be as equipped as possible to support loved ones, coworkers, employees, etc. in the event of a mental health emergency! I’ve thought back to the course in real life situations more than once." - Nicole Kielly

I had such a fantastic conversation with Gill Whelan of Whelan Wellness on the "For The Well Of It" Podcast recently. In this episode we chat about: The beginning of my mental health journey and my diagnosis How I felt about my diagnosis Medication The importance of working on your own wellbeing and more! ​ Listen to the podcast episode Hi, I'm Alison and welcome to the blog. If you’re constantly “on” and running on low, Resilient is my free weekly email inbox break you

Who should take Mental Health First Aid? I always say that this training is for "people who work with people". The more we are able to talk about mental health the better. This is what I encourage you to use when considering training! If you answer "yes" to any of the following questions, then this training is for you! Are you a leader or manager? Yes Are you a business owner with employees? Yes Do you have a service-based business where you work with clients/customers/patien

Many of are uncertain how to help someone having a panic attack. Here are five helpful tips to help a friend or family member during a panic attack. 1. Help them with guided breathing. The key is to breathe as slowly & deeply as possible as breathing will likely become very shallow . Slowing down your breathing is really important if you are feeling anxious. Short quick breaths reinforce your body's "fight or flight" response. There are many ways to breathe. One simple tec

If you are feeling anxious, it's likely that your breathing has become shallow and you may be feeling restless or uneasy. Try some of these calming strategies - different tools will work for different people. If you are trained in Mental Health First Aid these are also strategies you can use to support someone who is experiencing anxiety. 1. Breathing Techniques Slowing down your breathing is really important if you are feeling anxious. Short quick breaths reinforce your bod

The Energy Answer with Alison Butler is an interview series where we explore mental & physical well being and tools we can use to reduce stress and overwhelm. Today on The Energy Answer I'm chatting with Melissa Lloyd of DoodleLovely and DoodleBreaks. Melissa's journey is about bringing intentional calm and creativity using doodling as a key tool to help quiet the mind and connect to a place deep inside, that needs daily attention. In our conversation, we talk about: How Meli