It’s been nearly two years since I slept through the night — my 15-month-old daughter is still waking up to nurse and I wasn’t sleeping consistently in the nine months before her birth due to typical pregnancy symptoms.

I’m very tired, the kind of fatigue you just take for granted and roll into your overall well-being. I figured this is my base now, at least until my kids are older. But when I interviewed some experts for this month’s Back to Basics, I learned a lot about the impacts that sleep issues have across the whole health spectrum. From chronic health issues to physical health and mental health, there’s a lot to be concerned about.

Read: Back to basics on sleep

In fact, I read a study that found just one night of sleep deprivation led to a 60 per cent increase in amygdala — the emotional part of the brain — reactivity in an emotional situation, which means people who are sleep-deprived can’t easily regulate their emotions.

This ties into the theme of this issue, which is our annual focus on mental health. I know a lack of sleep is impacting my mood, but there are many other life and work variants that compound to affect our mental health.

This month’s Benefits Feature unpacks the entire mental-health bucket, looking at the connection to psychological safety, as well as diversity, equity and inclusion. An unsafe or dysfunctional work environment can be a significant factor affecting a person’s mental health and, subsequently, their productivity. And on the DEI side, employers that promote a sense of equity and belonging are more likely to build a workplace culture where employees feel safe and can be themselves.

Read: Psychological safety, DEI rising considerations in workplace mental-health support

Employers that acknowledge the diversity (and diverse needs) of their workforces, ask for employee feedback and then tailor their mental-health support accordingly were once again recognized at Benefits Canada’s annual Workplace Benefits Awards. We talked to the finalists and winners in last year’s mental-health categories to learn more about their award-worthy strategies. See the expanded Employer Strategy [add link]

Returning to the intersection of mental health and sleep, there are plenty of other stressors in the world right now that are keeping me awake and ramping up anxious feelings — the incomprehensible developments south of the border, including the threats that “baddie” (a villain nickname we call the current U.S. president in my house) is leveraging against this beautiful country; the rising hate and divisiveness all around the world as wars and conflicts rage on; and the continued lack of urgency related to the changing climate, despite all of the devastating evidence to the contrary.

Read: Institutional investors keeping events in perspective in 2025

Though the Investment Feature, our annual outlook was written at the end of 2024 before the baddie returned to the White House and started threatening to impose tariffs on Canada, before our tragic hero finally resigned as prime minister and before both federal and provincial election races began to take shape, there were sufficient reasons to push institutional investors’ prospects over the edge. But the feature takes a refreshingly optimistic look at the year ahead, adding a beam of light to the darkness.

If there’s anything to cling to in 2025, it’s to keep things in perspective. I feel better already — and maybe I’ll even manage to sleep through the night.

Jennifer Paterson is the editor of Benefits Canada and the Canadian Investment Review.