Call Dr. Pat: (403) 324-1875

Sport & Performance

Permanent daylight savings time: More money for some trumps better health for all

In this article, I discuss why we should focus on the physical and mental health of everyone when deciding whether to continue springing forward and falling back. It is easy to think of instances in which our political leaders have dropped the ball. One such instance which has not received enough publicity is the issue of whether we should continue to move our clocks ahead one hour in the spring and change our clocks back one hour in the fall. Whether such change should occur and what type of change should happen has important implications for the physical and mental health of everyone. Unfortunately, many politicians who have dealt with this issue recently appear to be either oblivious to these considerations or have subordinated them to the financial interests of an influential minority. In the following sections, I will provide the perspective of a mental health professional on this unfortunate situation...[more]

2026-03-15T19:05:17-06:00By |Categories: Depression, Sport & Performance|
Read More

My defense of work-life balance

In this article, I discuss why, despite recent statements to the contrary, work-life balance is a good thing. For as long as I can remember, work-life balance has been a value which most people have endorsed. Most companies, including those for whom I have worked, have espoused the concept even though some did not practice it. However, recently I was shocked to hear some people publicly denouncing work-life balance. This led me to consider that my next article should be one in which I argue in defense of what I believe is an important value. In the following sections, I will make the case in favour of work-life balance...[more]

2025-11-16T21:43:02-07:00By |Categories: Sport & Performance, Stress|
Read More

Let’s go, Blue Jays: The mental health benefits of being a sports fan

In this article, I discuss the mental health benefits which I and other Toronto Blue Jays supporters enjoyed during their 2025 journey to the World Series. I have long enjoyed being a fan of various sports. Some of my most treasured times have involved watching sporting events alone or with family and friends. Among the notable events in my childhood were traveling to Toronto with my father and older brother to attend Canadian football’s Grey Cup Game and being in the crowd at the Winnipeg Arena with that same older brother at Game 3 of the Canada versus Soviet Union Summit Series of Hockey. More recently, I traveled with my younger brother to San Francisco to watch a National Football League game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I also enjoy watching the men’s and women’s Canadian curling championships each year and discussing the action with my younger sister. I should also mention that I have also been a long-standing baseball fan. Among my cherished memories is going to Toronto Blue Jays games at the SkyDome (now the Rogers Centre) with my fellow graduate students when I attended the University of Toronto. These experiences point to my being a fan of the Blue Jays. However, it was not until this past Monday when I stayed up to watch all 18 innings of the 2025 Blue Jays’ loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 of the World Series that I realized how devoted I am. My commitment to watching the Blue Jays in their 2025 playoff run stemmed from the mental health benefits which I and other supporters derived from the experience. I will discuss these benefits in the following sections...[more]

2025-11-06T02:00:36-07:00By |Categories: Relationships, Sport & Performance|
Read More

Scottie knows golf…and mental health

In this article, I discuss insightful comments made recently by the world’s number one golfer. As a life-long avid sports fan, I have appreciated the talents of great athletes in a multitude of sports over the years. I have admired athletes at the top of their fields such as Wayne Gretzky in hockey, Michael Jordan in basketball, Tom Brady in football and Tiger Woods in golf. As entertaining as these Hall of Famers were when performing in their respective sports, they were not very exciting to to listen to in interviews. To be fair to the icons who I mentioned, with a few exceptions interviews with athletes are consistently comprised of cliches and banalities and are sorely lacking in insights and honesty. I was therefore pleasantly surprised to hear several thoughtful and candid comments in a recent news conference by no less than the top golfer on the planet. Even better for the purposes of this blog, his comments spoke to fundamental issues related to mental health. I will focus on Scottie Scheffler’s unusual interview in the following sections...[more]

2025-08-03T19:05:28-06:00By |Categories: Relationships, Sport & Performance|
Read More

How to overcome challenges to changing beliefs which drive procrastination

In this article, I discuss strategies you can use to overcome challenges to changing beliefs which drive procrastination. In my last two articles, I discussed how you can address procrastination by changing the beliefs which lead you to procrastinate. I indicated that this entailed identifying the beliefs driving each of four types of procrastination and changing these to beliefs which help each type to overcome procrastination. The four types, as described in 'A teen’s guide to getting stuff done' by Jennifer Shannon, were referred to as the perfectionist, the warrior, the pleaser and the rebel. In my most recent article, I discussed how to gather evidence to challenge beliefs which drive procrastination by conducting behavioural experiments in which you act opposite to your default behaviour of procrastination. I closed this article by indicating that challenges often arise when conducting such experiments. In the following sections, I will discuss these challenges and how to overcome them.

2025-07-20T17:37:26-06:00By |Categories: Children & Teens, Sport & Performance|
Read More

How to gather evidence to challenge beliefs which drive procrastination

In this article, I discuss steps you can take to challenge beliefs which drive your type of procrastination. In my last article, I discussed how you can address procrastination by changing the beliefs which lead you to procrastinate. I indicated that this entailed identifying the beliefs driving each of four types of procrastination and changing these to beliefs which help each type to overcome procrastination. The four types, as described in 'A teen’s guide to getting stuff done' by Jennifer Shannon, were referred to as the perfectionist, the warrior, the pleaser and the rebel. As I concluded in my last article, changing beliefs entails gathering evidence which challenges the beliefs driving each type of procrastination when these beliefs are activated. Gathering evidence to challenge beliefs which drive procrastination entails a set of steps. I will focus on this topic in the following sections...[more]

2025-07-20T17:33:25-06:00By |Categories: Children & Teens, Sport & Performance|
Read More

The second step in addressing procrastination: Change the beliefs driving it

In this article, I discuss how you can address procrastination by changing the beliefs which lead you to procrastinate. In my last article, I discussed the first step in addressing procrastination--identifying which type of procrastinator you are. The four types, as described in 'A teen’s guide to getting stuff done' by Jennifer Shannon, were referred to as the perfectionist, the warrior, the pleaser and the rebel. I indicated that each of the four types procrastinate for markedly different reasons. These reasons were said to be rooted in beliefs regarding the consequences of getting tasks done and procrastinating. In the following sections, I will discuss the second step in addressing procrastination. This entails targeting for change the beliefs of each type which drive their procrastination...[more]

2025-06-22T21:49:11-06:00By |Categories: Children & Teens, Sport & Performance|
Read More

The first step in addressing procrastination: Identify which type of procrastinator you are

In this article, I discuss four types of procrastinators who avoid tasks for markedly different reasons. Procrastination is an issue for many people, including myself, at times. Among those who procrastinate regularly, the reasons for doing so are often rooted in unhelpful beliefs which interfere with starting, continuing and completing tasks. Identifying and gradually changing these beliefs is fundamental for these people to address their procrastination issue. In 'A teen’s guide to getting stuff done', Jennifer Shannon discusses four types of procrastinators who differ in their reasons for not getting things done. I will focus on them in the following sections...[more]

2025-06-22T14:36:14-06:00By |Categories: Children & Teens, Sport & Performance|
Read More

Riding the true north express: How supporting a sports team can enhance your well-being

In this article, I discuss the mental health benefits I accrued from supporting the Winnipeg Jets hockey team during the past season. As a native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, I have long been a supporter of their sports teams. This includes football’s Blue Bombers and, at one time, AAA baseball’s Whips who were the farm team of the Montreal Expos. During the winter and spring, my support is focused on the National Hockey League’s Winnipeg Jets. The Jets were recently eliminated in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs after a storybook season in which they claimed the President’s Trophy for finishing the regular season with the league’s best record. Although I was disappointed that the Jets’ playoff performance fell short of what was predicted based on their banner regular season, the many mental health benefits I enjoyed made it well worth it to be an avid supporter. In the following sections, I will use my support of the Jets to discuss how supporting a sports team can enhance your well-being...[more]

2025-05-27T18:48:50-06:00By |Categories: Relationships, Sport & Performance|
Read More
Go to Top