The number of Canadians reporting stress has increased by 30 per cent since last year, the Canadian Mental Health Association reported at the start of its 58th annual national mental health week.

The economy is down, jobs are being lost, floodwaters are up in Manitoba and New Brunswick and swine flu has many concerned. All those factors put pressure on an individual's mental well-being and underscore the importance of proper balance and support in our lives, organizers of the week-long public awareness campaign said.

'Invest in yourself, invest in your family, your community … and take the steps that you may need that might make you feel a more healthy balance.' — Nicole Chammartin, Canadian Mental Health Association

The event this year comes at a time when statistics show an increased prevalence of stress among Canadians, said Nicole Chammartin, executive director of the CMHA in Manitoba.

"We are definitely seeing some new statistics coming out from our national office this week, that across Canada the stress levels are increasing about 30 per cent as more people are reporting higher stress levels than they were a year ago," she said.

According to the results of a study released Monday for national mental health week, a significant number of workers in Canada feel they have lost control of their lives as the economic recession grinds on, unemployment numbers rise and financial security appears to be evaporating.

'They're stressed, anxious, worried about their jobs. They're losing sleep, and they're losing confidence in the economy.'—Canadian Mental Health Association

The study by Desjardins Financial Security, found that one-third of the 1,062 people surveyed are experiencing anxiety, losing sleep, suffering from headaches, muscle aches and other physical tension — symptoms that often precede more serious problems, according to a news release issued by the CMHA.

"They're stressed, anxious, worried about their jobs," the release stated. "They're losing sleep, and they're losing confidence in the economy. Many Canadian employees are showing these and other signs of mental distress.

"In response to this deteriorating situation, the CMHA is calling on all employers, in both the public and private sectors, to broaden access to and funding for mental health programs in the workplace."

Interviews for the survey were conducted across the country between March 30 and April 15, 2009.

Take a break

When people feel stressed, they need to reach out to others, do better planning or just simply take a break, Chammartin advised.

"People need to be able to think about what they need to do during those times," she said. "Do they need to reach out to others? Do they need to be doing better planning with their life? Do they need to just take a break, shut off their computers, shut off their cellphones and spend some time with themselves?"

Often, although people might be able to recognize that they're going through a difficult time, they have trouble identifying what they should do about it, Chammartin said.

The Canadian Mental Health Association works with people to help them recognize the issues that are impacting their mental health and identify ways to "invest in yourself, invest in your family, your community … and take the steps that you may need that might make you feel a more healthy balance," she said.

To tackle the rising incidence of workplace stress, employees need to take responsibility by talking with their employers when they see potential problems arising; maintaining their health; and focusing on their accomplishments and goals, states the CMHA release. They could also be proactively exploring other career paths and networking to identify new job prospects, it suggested.

Events and workshops will be held throughout the week to help people cope with stress. A calendar detailing the events, times and locations can be found on the association's website.

The slogan for this year's mental health week is, "Now more than ever, invest in yourself."