Mental health in nature: the benefits of reconnecting

Mental health in Canada 

This January 24th marks National Mental Health Day in Canada . Outdoors, this date reminds us of the importance of taking care of our mental well-being . Opting for outdoor activities can significantly positively influence our mental health. 

The statistics are worrying following the upheavals of recent years ( source ) :

• Every day, 21 opioid overdose deaths are recorded.
• One in two Canadians face mental health problems without receiving the necessary help.
• One in eight people have suffered from severe anxiety.
• More than 200 Canadians attempt suicide every day, resulting in twelve deaths.

Today, let's discover how mental health can play a role in everyone's well-being and introduce you to the Maïkana company that is trying to remedy this... one therapeutic adventure at a time!

Credit: Maïkana - Intervention through adventure

How does the outdoors help?

Breathing fresh air and enjoying nature have multiple positive effects: they reduce stress, improve mood, promote concentration and stimulate creativity.

More concretely, this can lead to the following beneficial effects ( source ):

• Brings a sense of pride and accomplishment, helping them overcome their fears.
• The calming effect of nature contributes to a reduction in stress and a general feeling of well-being.
   
• The group experience encourages socialization and the creation of new relationships.
• Finally, these activities also offer new perspectives on each person's abilities, qualities and personal interests.  

The MAÏKANA company

MAÏKANA - Intervention par l'aventure, a non-profit organization, positions itself as an innovative response to mental health issues. Their approach, based on mobilization , training and psychosocial intervention through adventure , aims to optimize the mental well-being of each individual. With a multidisciplinary team and key partners, MAÏKANA has become a reference in Quebec in intervention through nature and adventure, thus contributing to social innovation in the field of health and outdoor social services. 

Partnership

Mental health affects almost everyone, including entrepreneurs, who cannot escape it and must take care of their well-being. Given the challenges of mental health and Maïkana’s unique approach to improving mental well-being through the outdoors, it was a natural fit for us to collaborate with them. We are therefore particularly proud to announce our new partnership with Maïkana to support their therapeutic adventures by providing them with comforting freeze-dried meals.  

What's special about this partnership is that for the first time we will be offering our freeze-dried meals as a bulk purchase . With this collaboration, we are giving this company the chance to reduce their waste production during their adventures.

If you are interested in the bulk option, you can join us here: Partnership - Treko

Useful resources  

If you want to learn more about Maïkana, you can visit their website here: www.maikana.org

If you want to participate in Bell Let's Talk Day, you can see all the initiatives here