Marna McManus

Anyone who has been actively working on building and protecting their own mental health has likely become aware of the importance of setting boundaries.

According to Raven Daer, Communications Specialist at Envision Counselling & Support Centre, boundaries are not 'rules' for others, but, in fact, they are more of a guideline for upholding personal standards, for the purpose of self-care.

Whether it's physical, relational, financial, or food-or-time limits, setting boundaries in our life is a big part of being healthy.

Valentine's Day has come and gone, and no matter how much romance was in the air, it doesn't always last, and eventually, couples will be at odds. Even for those who aren't in relationships with significant others, patterns of discord can come up between parents and children, and among friends or co-workers.

Sweeties everywhere are celebrating Valentine's Day with expressions and tokens, date nights and probably some marriage proposals.

Loving relationships are not just chocolate hearts and flowers, and even the best ones take a lot of care. 

So how does anyone know they'll be able to show up for their partner, their family, and their community?

Raven Daer is the Communications Specialist with Envision Counselling and Support Centre. She said self-love is the best way to ensure healthy relationships, and it all begins with self-care. 

Are you paying attention? Like, really paying attention?   

SGI is reminding drivers, distraction and inattention go beyond what you do with your phone, and while talking, texting, swiping and selfies can take your attention away from the act of driving, of course, if you’re not careful, countless other activities can also make the difference between life or death, or between having disposable income or paying a hefty ticket.

Forty schools across the province will each get their turn for the delivery of rainbow trout eggs soon, as part of the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation’s Fish in Schools (FinS) program.

After an Arctic high pressure system had us dealing with extreme cold for the last week and a half, now, an upper ridge of Pacific air has been moving into the region, bringing daytime highs closer to zero throughout the next week.

A Pacific upper ridge is now winning the battle in the skies, which means we are now, after a couple of weeks of deep freeze conditions, in for a serious warm-up here in the southeast.

Samantha Mauti, Meteorologist with Environment Canada, said we were previously under an Arctic high-pressure system, which generally means cold temperatures.

"We were getting lots of Arctic air funneling in from an Arctic high-pressure system sitting at the surface." 

While some see the ground covered in snow and think, 'this is good for the farmers', area grain farmer Norm McFadden said he doesn't tend to see the benefits from the winter snow as much as he does from that which comes down in late spring.

"I don't get too worried about the snowfall until we get into like late April, March," he noted. "We know how quickly the weather can change in this country, so I don't usually to get too worried until we start getting into March, and then if we still don't, however, get any snow, then I'll start worrying a little bit."

With the wind chill making it feel like minus 31 this morning, and more of these super low temperatures remaining throughout the week, Environment Canada is reminding of the risk of frostbite.

"It's really important for people to plan their time to take the necessary precautions like dressing properly, not. Spending a whole lot of time outside paying very close attention to how people are feeling or behaving," said Warning Preparedness Meteorologist Natalie Hasell.

Many are struggling this month with the darker days and colder weather, especially after the winter holidays have passed.

Tasha Collins, program director at the Weyburn Branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association, said January is often a 'sad' month, with the third Monday of January often referred to as 'blue Monday'.