By Psychology Melbourne psychologist, Gloria LewThe Christmas season is meant to be a time of joy, but for many people it can be a time of stress, anxiety, disappointment or loneliness. Christmas comes with high expectations of perfect, happy families enjoying luxurious celebrations and gifts, but not all of us are able to live up to these ideals.Many are stressed by the...
Edited by Jill Wright,
Social anxiety is the third largest mental health problem and most common anxiety disorder worldwide today. Sufferers are characterised by irrational fears of social situations, being negatively judged and evaluated by other people, provoking feelings of embarrassment, inadequacy and insecurity. Often perceived by outsiders as simply being shy, awkward or a bit different, for those experiencing it, feelings of distress...
This post is by Psychology Melbourne psychologist OrlyMillerWhat are emotions? Emotions are body sensations. What does anxiety feel like? Tight and constricted like I can't get a deep breath. What does sadness feel like? Heavy and dense like a weight pulling me down. What does joy feel like? Spacious and expansive. We experience each emotion as a set of sensations somewhere in our body....
This post is by Psychology Melbourne psychologist Gloria LewTo spare oneself from grief at all costs can be achieved only at the price of total detachment, which excludes the ability to experience happiness. - Erich FrommToday we are all, in one way or another, linked to everybody else on the planet. We face something malevolent that cannot be seen without a microscope. All...
This post is by Psychology Melbourne psychologist Aisha Seedat-TimolI am often inspired in my work by a quote from American psychotherapist Jon Frederickson, founder of the ISTDP Institute, in one of his books, The Lies We Tell Ourselves:"Life is hard, but psychological suffering can be unbearable. To find a way to bear it, we may seek a good therapist. But...
By Richard Weld-Blundell “And stand together yet not too near together: For the pillars of the temple stand apart, And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.” ...
By psychologist Andrea LarkinsBeing a mother or caregiver in these unprecedented times of pandemic presents us with many challenges. Our lives are complicated by uncertainty. From week to week, or even day to day, we are confronted by significant changes which may include instability or lack of employment, the pressures of working from home, isolation from family, friends and community,...
By Paula Teggelove(Paula Teggelove's next online short course on Managing Stress and Anxiety begins on August 3)From this Thursday, as Victorians advance further into lockdown conditions, we will all have to wear face masks when we venture from home. It’s important that we don’t try, at the same time, to mask what we are feeling and experiencing as a result of...
By Dr Shikha GrayEvery year, National Diabetes Week is held in July as an opportunity to raise awareness of the challenges of living with diabetes. This year, from July 12 to 18, the focus of National Diabetes Week is on mental health. Given the extraordinary circumstances we all find ourselves in, this is an apt, important and timely topic of...
By Dominique MulhaneYou have probably heard of mindfulness. You may have even done some mindfulness techniques with your psychologist. An increasing amount of research has shown the value of meditation techniques and the way it activates areas of the brain associated with self-regulation, focused problem-solving, attention, and internal awareness. It has also been shown to increase motor control and performance.Sometimes,...