Living with a chronic medical illness isn’t something any of us plan for. You might have heart disease in the family, or high blood pressure or depression but if you’re fit and well, you’re probably hoping it won’t affect you.
Many of our chronic health conditions are associated with a higher risk of anxiety or depression. Just ask anyone living with chronic pain how that makes them feel.
It’s hard.

That’s why it’s time to adopt a more holistic approach to allay any stress or mental mood challenges in addition to reducing or even reversing (where possible) the associated chronic health condition.

This year’s message for RUOK Day is “Are they, really, OK? Ask them today, and show you care.”
While the message is great, the problem is our mental health system is not OK. At. All.
Let’s get real. The mental health system as we know it, has been broken for a long time and was already in strife well before the arrival of Covid-19. Chronically underfunded and understaffed, access to timely and appropriate help has been and continues to be a nightmare.

Just ask any parent of a child suffering a mental health crisis or partner deeply concerned by their spouse’s suicidal ideation.

With one in two of us likely to experience some form of mental health challenge at least once in our lifetime, this is clearly not OK.

It’s time to reimagine what we need and to develop a new approach founded on providing care at the grass roots level in our communities, our schools and tertiary institutions and the place we call work.

When you feel cared for and care about others EVERYTHING gets better.
I care. Do you?

Hats off to Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles for having the courage to speak out about their recent mental health challenges. Thank goodness. Because the more we speak out about our struggles (and if you’re human there’s a good chance this might include you) the more we...

Not happy, not sad, just “bleh”? It’s a sign you’re not flourishing, and if not addressed could put you at higher risk of a mental mood disorder like anxiety or depression.
There is no ONE solution rather it’s often a combination of those activities you’ve discovered from past experiences that cheer you up and make you feel better. None are right or wrong. This is about what works for you.

When did you last experience awe?

Was it while standing under the black mantle of a starry night gazing at the Milky Way?

Was it on a holiday where you visited a well-known monument – the Taj Mahal or La Familia Segrada in Barcelona?

Was it when you got to stand on the edge of the Grand Canyon or to hear exquisite music being played at the Sydney Opera House?

The magic of awe is only now starting to be better understood.

It is the feeling of being in the presence of something vast, transcending our existing understanding of the world. It is a complex emotion. When gazing out into space it can make us feel small and insignificant compared to the vastness of the Universe. Our concerns and worries feel less important as we gain greater perspective of what’s really important to us.

Awe is important to our physiological, psychological and social wellbeing.
How do you experience awe in your life?

If you like me are experiencing pandemic fatigue. It’s OK.

I yearn for the day when the morning news will be no news about the coronavirus pandemic because it’s over.
I hanker for more of those small things that brought me some small relief from the daily stress, anxiety and disillusionment with the world.
I’m deeply grateful for the one thing that saved my life.

Grief, loss, sadness are the emotions we feel when dealing with adversity or tragedy and that’s normal. It is only by using the power of all our emotions that we can reconnect to what makes us feel happy. They allow us to reconnect with what’s truly important to us, our values and beliefs.

The one thing that changed my course was curiosity.
What’s yours?