Emotional health is an important part of overall health. Being emotionally well is more than just handling stress and does not mean you are happy all the time. Emotionally healthy people still feel stress, anger, and sadness but they know how to manage their negative feelings. They can tell when a problem is more than they can handle on their own and know when to seek support from friends, family, or medical professionals. Emotionally healthy individuals have an optimistic approach to life and enjoy life despite its occasional disappointments and frustrations.

Being emotionally healthy means you are aware of and accept your emotions and feel you can deal with them. It involves being attentive to your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, whether positive or negative.

Individuals who are emotionally healthy are in control of their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours and are able to cope with life’s challenges, keep problems in perspective, and bounce back from setbacks. They feel good about themselves and have good relationships.

​​Emotional wellness requires active practice in the same way physical wellness requires a commitment to a healthy active lifestyle.  There are steps you can take to improve your emotional health.  Having available strategies to refer to can be a great place to start.

​Below are a list of some of the emotional challenges you may be facing.  Clicking on any of the topics below will redirect you to a page of resources and strategies dedicated to supporting each topic. Resources include articles, books, blogs, medical journals and videos. It is important to find a strategy that works best for you.  If you have a resource or topic you would like to see on this page please email us at lyanne@saveyourskin.ca.

Find a Therapist in your area

New app: PocketWell 

Just enter your city or postal code to search for local therapists across Canada:

www.PsychologyToday.com – Therapists who Specialize in Chronic Illness

Check out the new app PocketWell – a free companion app to the Wellness Together Canada (WTC) online platform which gives access to a virtual network of mental health and substance use supports. PocketWell connects with the WTC portal to allow Canadians to access free and confidential sessions with social workers, psychologists and other professionals from their mobile phone.

Click here to download on the App Store

Click here to download at Google Play

In the summer of 2017, Save Your Skin Foundation conducted a patient survey seeking insight on the emotional and psychological impact of a melanoma diagnosis, in order to expand on our personal experiences and to learn how we may be able to help improve support systems for patients and survivors across Canada.  Since the release of the report from that survey (click here to read the report), we developed a poster for display during our attendance at the 12th Annual Canadian Melanoma Conference (February 2018). This poster is titled:

THE AFFECTS OF MELANOMA ON THE MENTAL WELLNESS OF PATIENTS, AND THE LANDSCAPE OF MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT IN THE CANADIAN MELANOMA COMMUNITY

We welcome the discussions that the information in this poster will inspire, and we will continue to bring voice to the challenges that are faced by those who are touched by melanoma skin cancer.  To read the poster we have created from the survey results, please click on the image below to view it in PDF format, in which you will be able to zoom in on the small text and graphs.

The survey was conducted in English using the SurveyMonkey online platform. It was also made available in French for Quebec residents. The English survey was open from August 21, 2017 to September 25, 2017; the French survey was open from August 28, 2017 to September 25, 2017. There were 28 participants in the English survey, and 19 in the French survey. French to English translations were largely performed by our in-house translator, Danika Garneau. The English and French results are combined for the purpose of this project. The poster will provide an overview of the survey results.  For any feedback or questions, please contact natalie@saveyourskin.ca.

To view the complete survey responses, please click here:

Save Your Skin Foundation Mental Health Survey 2017

English

Sondage sur la Santé Mentale de la Fondation Sauve Ta Peau 2017

en Francais

Stay tuned for updates on our work in mental wellness and self-care after cancer diagnosis. 

Listed above are a few sources of information and support you might find useful. These groups are not connected to Save Your Skin Foundation. We are providing the links as useful sources of information but do not monitor content for accuracy and quality.

NOTE: The information on the Save Your Skin website is not intended to replace the medical advice of a doctor or healthcare provider. While we make every effort to ensure that the information on our site is as current as possible, please note that information and statistics are subject to change as new research and studies are published. 

100% OF DONATIONS GO TO PATIENTS

Making awareness and education available is crucial. Since 2006, the Foundation has worked to raise awareness of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers focusing on education, prevention and the need for improved patient care.