No doubt about it, rejection HURTS. It doesn’t seem to get any easier as we get older, either. Being rejected by people you like, admire, or want to be close to feels just as bad as an adult as it did when we were picked last on the primary school sports team....
Wednesday November 3rd is National Stress Awareness Day. Given it’s been a pretty stressful year for many, this might be a great time to give yourself a bit of a stress check-up and tune-up. Stress is an adaptive response to a challenge or demand, and your body’s way...
This article is dedicated to my friend, Cazmo. A few months ago, I was having a Bad Day. It was not a unique or distinctive type of bad day, but pretty similar to the kinds of bad days many people experience. I felt despair and loneliness, a sense of uselessness, and...
About half the population of Australia are emerging from lockdowns and restrictions right now. While there is certainly some relief and rejoicing, let's take a moment to acknowledge some of the other feelings going on. Outside home doesn’t feel safe anymore. I don’t...
I'm sure you're aware of the ‘self-discipline’ approach to good health and wellbeing. The details vary somewhat, but the steps usually look a little something like this: Look at fit healthy people and resolve to be like them. Make lists. Choose diet plan and exercise...
You’ve probably heard vague tales about mysterious neurotransmitters that control your moods: deficient serotonin leaving depression in its wake, oxytocin bubbling up to cement romantic or maternal bonds, or dysregulated dopamine responses that cause addiction....
Jennifer’s pre-adolescent period involved abusive parents, an unstable home life, multiple episodes of sexual assault, and being carjacked at gunpoint. At age 12, she became the primary caregiver for both her incapacitated parents, and at 17, she had a breakdown....
In a world where being ‘authentic’ has been glamourised, glorified and used as a performative marketing tool, even the word ‘authentic’ has an inauthentic feel about it. If your idea of being ‘authentic’ brings to mind an image of an airbrushed picture-perfect yoga...
We’re all busy people, with limited time and energy, and a whole lot of other things going on. Most of us (and you’d better believe I’m including myself) baulk at the idea of putting an hour of running or meditating or anything at all really into our daily routine....
“What if you left the stove on,” whispered Anxiety conspiratorially. “What if you left the iron on. Or the door unlocked. What if the house burns down.” I frowned. “I don’t even use an iron!” “Yeah but what if… what if your friends don’t like you. They might be...