Stress Awareness Month |

According to a 2014 study called Preceived life stress, 23 percent of Canadians report high levels of stress in their daily lives. Stress is caused by many factors, including workplace, family or health. This can be especially true for newcomers as they try to adapt to a new country and culture. It is common for many newcomers to feel frustration, helplessness, fear and stress as they try to find employment, learn a new language or find a place to live. Stress levels increase when you cannot find employment comparable to what you had in your previous country; or the kind of home you expect. These challenges increase when you have no relatives or friends to turn to for support and guidance. To help newcomers better adjust to the country, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has published a booklet, Welcome to Canada: What You Should Know, that has important information, including explanations about legal and tax systems in Canada. The CIC website also provides information and access to citizenship forms and Permanent Residence forms.

For newcomers looking for more personal guidance, there are many local settlement services to turn to for help. You can get information on finding a job, schools for your children, and more. Try the CIC's website to look up organizations near home. The Ontario's Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration website also provides a list of settlement agencies by their locations. Some of these agencies even specialize in helping people from a particular cultural background so newcomers can feel more at home.

Newcomers can also find settlement services offered at the library. Many of our settlement workers are multilingual so you are sure to find someone who can speak your native language. For students, many school boards also offer settlement services. Just ask your local school for information.

To help cope with stress:

Talk to friends or co-workers. Language classes and clubs are a great way to meet people.
Take deep breaths and breathe slowly.
Be flexible as there are some things you cannot change.
Handle your problems one at a time instead of all at once.
Read a good book or magazine to take your mind off the problems.

If stress becomes too much to handle, don't be afraid or embarrassed to ask for help. Having another person for support is always better than facing problems on your own. Talk to someone from mental health services and see how they can help you.

Try some of these good or funny books to ease your mind for an hour or so a day!