Janine Rod Psychologist/Hypnotherapist | Psychotherapist

Janine Rod Psychologist/Hypnotherapist

Phone: +61 421 990 990

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25.01.2022 Covid-19 and its restrictions is having a huge impact on young people. The closure of schools, and regular places where teens like to hangout, has meant a loss of routine, connection and independence. It has brought with it isolation, loneliness, anxiety, fear, overwhelm and many unknowns and unanswered questions. For teenagers on the verge of independence, losing their freedom can be hard. But throwing into the mix, the threat of a disease that we cannot see, and a world the...y know thrown completely upside down. Everything is different and unpredictable. And in Year 12, when anxiety and pressure is already higher than normal these added stressors are impacting our HSC students. The strategies that many students have done in the past to help manage their anxiety are not working as they are not available to them. Their usual going out with a friend, letting off steam at the gym or swim at the beach has been denied to them. In the face of this, it is no wonder that we are seeing increased anxiety, problems with sleep, panic attacks, lack of motivation and poor concentration. Schools are now starting to go back. Pressure will mount up. Deadlines. Exams. How will your teen cope? What strategies do the schools have in place to support teens in Year 12? What can you do to provide your child with the best possible opportunity of minimising his/her distress and fostering resilience, grounding and focused coping skills to meet the upcoming challenges? I am offering free online Webinars for Year 11 and Year 12 students as an introduction to my 4-week online Beat HSC Stress Course. This course aims to return your teens mind to a calm, balanced, well-functioning state so it can make wise decisions that will contribute towards exam success. The use of deeply relaxed states and wisely guided imagery is an effective way to empower the mind to work collaboratively with the body. #exam #year12 #hsc #anxiety #stress See more

25.01.2022 Masks- we all wear them. It’s instinctive, taught to us, and fiercely driven into us to keep wearing them for fear of being uncovered. We pretend everything is ok. We have our sh$&t together. Pretend- yup, it’s a lie. And it’s hard work. And we all play the game. Taking the mask off can be absolutely terrifying, but it can also allow you to breathe. It can help you to find support and comfort. Let’s all start today by being courageous and asking someone R U OK? Don’t be afraid of their answer. Be afraid of not asking. #support #awareness #mentalhealth

24.01.2022 So, what does it meant to emotionally self-regulate? And why do I need to know what this is? In short, emotional self-regulation is a way of managing unsettling or uncomfortable emotions or impulses. When we manage this in a positive way, we are able to engage in behaviours that are considered, mindful and not harmful to ourselves or others. But what happens when we use food or other substances to manage our uncomfortable emotions? When food becomes the substance of choice to... aid that emotional self-regulation? When we don’t have adequate strategies to cope with our emotions, food becomes that source of nurturing, nourishing and pleasure. Food becomes a way of helping us to feel less overwhelmed and less controlled by our emotions. When we feel that we need something outside of ourselves to either numb out, calm, or somehow change our emotional state we are giving ourselves the message that we do not have the internal resources to cope. Read on at ... https://www.janinerod.com/food-and-emotional-regulation/

24.01.2022 Food, Friendship and Connection In this new Covid world of 2021, where life is a little different, making time for connection and friendship has taken on an even greater meaning. In fact, research now shows that one essential ingredient for living a long and healthy life is our connection with others. Friendship is a vital ingredient in longevity and verve.... As humans, we are wired for social contact and using food to help us connect after periods of isolation is often overlooked. Read on https://www.janinerod.com/food-friendship-and-connection/

22.01.2022 I had a dear 82-year old lady come see me today I had seen her last year when her husband passed away and she was grieving, but now she was depressed. Different to last year. Not surprising you might flippantly think, and also pass this blog by and say yup, Covid, isolation and so on. And you would be correct, because initially that is what I thought too. But the reason I am using this as an example is to highlight to you that sometimes we need to take a moment and listen d...eeper, really listen and hear what is being said. You see, on deeper conversation, let’s call this lady Mary, had been recently diagnosed with Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and her well-meaning relative had said to her it is all in her head. Believing this to be true, Mary went to her GP, related her symptoms which had been ongoing for probably 20 years (with periods of variable severity), and the GP too, had said yes, definitely IBS (without any substantiating investigation), prescribed mediation and gave a referral with the words it’s probably more in your head similar to the words of the well-meaning relative. Read on... https://www.janinerod.com/do-you-hear-when-you-listen-or-d/

20.01.2022 Social media is not always our friend. It has created a minefield of problems - #bodydysmorphia #psychologist #therapy

20.01.2022 As we come out of what has been for many, a period of loneliness and disconnection, the full impact is beginning to be felt. Loneliness and disconnection, just like it’s physical counterparts of thirst and hunger, signals alarm bells for your body. And just like thirst drives us to find water, hunger to reach for food, so too does loneliness urge us to reach out. Unfortunately, many of confuse this message and body signal. We confuse the message and reach for rewards and ...comfort hidden in our fridge and pantry. As the weekend begins, notice your cravings. Maybe if you step into them and not away from them, step into your body and hear it’s message you will hear that you’re craving connection. This is a social craving an emotional craving.... and no amount of chocolate or pizza will fill that void. @janinerodpsychologist #mindbodyeatingcoach #covid_19 #loneliness See more

20.01.2022 The Lesson of Friendships When 2020 came to an end, I breathed a sigh of relief and welcomed in 2021. How wonderful I thought. No more lockdowns, a vaccine in sight and perhaps life will resume a new normal. Change is good right? It moves us out of our comfort zone, it helps us grow and evolve. I’m all for that I can do that. Little did I know that my whole world would be rocked and all that I took for granted would change, and pressure, stress and demands would be placed u...pon me that would call for every ounce of my reserves. Now this blog is not about a poor me, my tale of woes, because we all have one. No, this is not my pity party. What this is, is a recognition of the value of friendships. Read on... https://www.janinerod.com/good-riddance-2020-the-lesson-of/

14.01.2022 Emotional eating! I hear it all the time. It’s in the media. On all our social media. It’s worse than Coronavirus. It’s damned. But I’m going to suggest something controversial. A little re- frame for this moment in time. Here goes... If you think about it we’re all emotional beings. We all have emotions and we all feel emotions- some more,some less. We laugh, we cry, we love, we hate, we criticize,we judge. So how can we not take our emotional self to the table? To the ...fridge? To the pantry? How can we not be an emotional eater. Last I looked we’re not robots devoid of all emotion, shutdown, numb, neutral, blank, zombies. So relax and embrace the idea that we are all emotional eaters. Rather your quest to eradicate the uncomfortable feelings and emotions that eating numbs is the issue. That’s where the work begins. Emotional eating is not the problem, rather it’s a symptom. So check in with yourself, listen to your body, notice what is happening. #bodywisdom #eatingpsychology #emotionaleater See more

14.01.2022 Can you imagine if someone like Rowan Atkinson aka Mr. Bean had listened to the wisdom of his school teachers? He would not have obtained his Degree. He would not have brought us hours of laughter in his acting abilities. Here is a perfect example of someone who believed in himself, did not let other people’s opinion stand in his way, in the words of Virginia Woolf, The eyes of others our prisons; their thoughts our cages. Don’t be confined to the prison walls imposed on you by someone else’s limited perspective and way of seeing the world. Splash your face with clear water, clean your eyes, wipe your glasses and see the future through your lens, based on a healthy, unbiased self-esteem. Read on... https://www.janinerod.com/be-who-you-are-and-say-what-you-/

13.01.2022 Just like you update your software on your computer, iPad and mobile phone, so too can you update the software of your mind. We know that negative mental images, thoughts, emotions, beliefs and self-talk can be damaging and impact on school success. Conversely, positive thoughts, beliefs, emotions and self regard fosters a balanced, relaxed and focussed mind-body. One that is conducive to increasing the probability of exam and HSC success. For the short term, Covid-19 is here to stay. Its impact, however, will be felt long after we come out of isolation. Give your teen the skills to stay grounded, calm and empowered forever. # relaxation #success #learning #motivation

13.01.2022 Sitting and writing this blog today, the weather is glorious. The sun is shining, the sky is a beautiful blue and it’s a lovely twenty degrees (well nearly there!), it is an opportunity to take in the good, acknowledge the positive and savour it. Unfortunately, lurking underneath this is some alarming statistics that were reported earlier this morning. According to The University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre, Australia is on the road to potentially at best see an increas...e in suicide deaths of close to 14% over the next 5 years. And whilst you might all be thinking that really is not so high, if you put it into real terms, one of those people making up that percentage could be someone in your family, your friendship circle, your workplace. Scary. Yep we don’t want to hear it, but it is true. Whilst I don’t want to be the Debbie Downer nor do I want to spoil your day, I do feel I have a responsibility to heighten your awareness of what is happening in our community, and potentially closer to home. With Covid-19 numbers potentially increasing daily, and Melbourne and all of Victoria facing really drastic lockdown measures, people are doing it tough financially, socially and emotionally. Bombarded on all fronts and having to draw upon every ounce of their inner resources to survive. This is the perfect combination for putting people’s psychological health to test. Everyone has their idea of what the solutions are. Let’s not get political, let’s get real and let’s get practical. Simple strategies work. Isolation means disconnection. The simple act of sending a text, making a call can show someone you care. FaceTime someone and have a cuppa together. Family meal-times can be done over Zoom so include relatives that might be alone. Get out, go for a walk. Exercise is the one of the best ways of helping you to feel better it is not about calorie burning it is about movement. There are also many forms of exercise that you can try in the comfort of your home how about trying something new? You never know, you could be the next Kung Fu champion! If you need to talk reach out. Online therapy is just as effective #online #suicide #mentalhealthmatters

13.01.2022 I was out walking my furry soulmate this weekend and listening to an interesting podcast that has sparked my blog this morning. The podcast was actually about habits, but a comment was made, and it has resonated with me, because it is such a common theme in my work. The comment was somewhere along the lines of filling the hole in our stomach when we’re trying to fill the hole in our heart. How prophetic and so true. Read more ... https://www.janinerod.com/running-on-empty/

12.01.2022 Mindfulness, Empathy and Self Compassion We hear these words all the time. They form part of our language. In the workplace they get the tick of approval, and social media throws them out wherever possible. In light of both world-wide and Australia-wide events that have occurred since late 2019 and the beginning of this year, our ability to be mindful, empathic and show self-compassion is being been tested constantly. Read more... https://www.janinerod.com/mindfulness-empathy-and-self-com/

12.01.2022 Have you ever stopped to listen to your own internal voice? Have you ever considered changing the radio station of your head? I mean if you don’t enjoy listening to the music or talk on one network you change it Right? So why is it that you continue to listen to that same damaging, critical and negative self-talk day in and day out? Why is it that you don’t change your internal radio station, or internal TV channel?... If you’re constantly bombarding yourself with a narrative that is filled with hate, criticism and disempowering feedback how will you feel confident to go out in the world? Your mind can be your best friend or your worst enemy. Your mind, and that voice in your head is the one you hear most. That voice is the one that is feeding your ideas about your body. Read on https://www.janinerod.com/so-do-i-need-to-love-my-body/

10.01.2022 How funny, if I would have started this blog in February, I would have said: So much to do. My To-do list is so long. How will you get everything done? You don’t have enough time in your day. Everyone expects too much from you. So many obligations. Too many commitments. You’re rushing around so quickly, You don’t even have time to fit in a heart attack! But now it’s May, and we’ve been mostly at home, almost in a kind of lockdown and I’m guessing life has slowed down. The edg...e is off. I’m not suggesting it’s been a holiday or that it has been easy or that there has been no stress. Don’t get me wrong. But I’m wondering if you have noticed a shift, a kind of gentle awareness that perhaps the edge has lifted. That kind of rush, that freneticism is no longer. Maybe you have slowed down the pace of the treadmill, or stepped off the hamster wheel? And in doing so you are not continuously being carried by a momentum that swallows you and directs you. You are now taking more direction of your life. You are taking charge so you can enjoy your ride. Sometimes, in times of uncertainty and fear we bunker down, we ground ourselves. We also make space to do the things that really matter and find the time to appreciate details. Details that we miss in the fast-paced life we usually lead. You see, when we slow down, when we take time to notice and pay attention, we connect to our body, our mind, to the people in our life. We begin to feel gratitude and begin to show compassion. Compassion to ourselves and compassion to others. So bring this compassion into your world, and allow for some acceptance. Put your judgements and comparisons off and allow them to subside. Know that you don’t have to be perfect. Your external world, and other people’s opinions do not dictate your level of aliveness or your level of happiness. You create your own quality of your world. And this quality is based on knowing you are good enough, loveable and doing your best. #iamenough #iamloved #gratitude #compassion See more

08.01.2022 The reality of working online has taken its toll on students in the form of adverse effects on mental health. With the HSC exams just two weeks away, students this year will face one their greatest challenges ever with different classroom conditions, new legislation changes in the university sector and an uncertain future. I shared my thoughts with The Wire a daily current affairs program, broadcast exclusively on Community and Indigenous radio stations around Australia.... How will HSC 2020 be different to the previous years? And is our government making the right moves to support these students? http://thewire.org.au/story/the-future-of-the-hsc/

08.01.2022 Beautiful Sydney- you never fail to uplift and delight us with your beauty. After a long, hard day my ordinary day has been transformed into awesome and a simple dinner into amazing. Taking time for noticing the good, taking it in and being grateful is an excellent way for our brain to release dopamine and serotonin- our happy and feel good neurotransmitters. Making you feel good from the inside out. #gratitude #happy #therapy

07.01.2022 Ignoring Isn’t Going To Help You might have noticed that I have been quiet for a while. No blogs, no Instagram, and a couple of Facebook posts that are not always relevant to my work. And to those of you that might have noticed and wondered why (thank you), I will tell you. For months now, we have been surrounded with news of Covid-19, job loss, economic devastation, financial ruin and the emotional spin offs of this fear, anxiety, depression, insomnia, overeating, under-eat...ing, uncertainty to name just a few behaviours and emotions. But then added to this, we have had the political unrest as a result of the intense racism and injustice in the world. And whilst this has been there for so long, at the moment it is pretty hard to bury our heads and pretend we can ignore it. Now this is not a political forum for us to debate this notion of racism, but it certainly is an opportunity for me to use it as an example of how, whenever we try to ignore something, or put a Bandaid over something, it doesn’t make it go away. Somehow or other, it has an uncanny way of still making itself heard... Read on at https://www.janinerod.com/ignoring-isnt-going-to-help/

07.01.2022 Rules Shmules It’s Enough! Ok, so unless you have been living with your head under a rock you have all heard of neuroplasticity, right? And you know that you can change your brain, rewire your brain and create different outcomes? Well what I don’t get is how come then, all those Brainiacs and so called health or lifestyle gurus haven’t got the message that putting out all those outdated rules about what we should eat and what we shouldn’t eat, what the perfect diet is, what the perfect body shape is, is not working? And neither is it helpful? Read on... https://www.janinerod.com/rules-shmules-its-enough/

07.01.2022 Happy first day of Spring. The season that heralds new life and new beginnings. Whilst we cannot always go back and start again, we can start today and work towards making a different tomorrow. Just starting means you’ve taken the first step, every journey begins with a first step. #healthyhabits #change #therapy

05.01.2022 At our very core, humans have evolved to survive and thrive on connection. Our very being is based on having an other, or many others in our lives. Despite moves to come out of lockdown and back into a new kind of living, for most of us, our lives are still pretty much disconnected. For the majority, working from home, socialising differently, exercising alone is now how our lives are. So, in a world where the screen and smartphone replace real human interaction, we are n...ow even more removed from real interaction and connection. Transactional connection, rather than heart to heart connection, lateral rather than vertical connection is the trend. The pandemic is not only Covid-19, but also a pandemic of compulsive attention to our screens which is changing the very quality and nature of our relationships. Read on at ... https://www.janinerod.com/connection-in-the-time-of-discon/

04.01.2022 The easiest way to boost serotonin and to lift your mood is through connection. Connection in a time of isolation, can take many forms. #mood #serotonin #happiness

04.01.2022 Feelings, Emotions, What the?! Your Emotions, they drive you, they motivate you, they direct you and inspire you. But they also bring you down, wear you down, make you want to crawl into a ball, hibernate, and not face the world. And for many of us, our eating behaviour is matched with our feelings. When we are happy, we eat, when we are sad, we eat, when we are anxious, we eat and so on. So, what does it mean then that we eat our feelings? And our feelings eat us? https://www.janinerod.com/feelings-emotions-what-the/

03.01.2022 Your Emotions, they drive you, they motivate you, they direct you and inspire you. But they also bring you down, wear you down, make you want to crawl into a ball, hibernate, and not face the world. And for many of us, our eating behaviour is matched with our feelings. When we are happy, we eat, when we are sad, we eat, when we are anxious, we eat and so on. So, what does it mean then that we eat our feelings? And our feelings eat us? To be honest, and you won’t like what I ...have to say, so brace yourself, you don’t love’ food. You are in love with the idea of what you believe food does for you. You are in love with brain connections, neural pathways made when you learned to connect and associate the positive feeling of warmth, comfort, connection, and happiness with food. Food has power. Food is given this sense of powerful ability to make everything ok. To make you feel loved, comforted, less lonely, less stressed, less tired, less overwhelmed, and so on. Wow, amazing abilities from an inanimate object or objects. And what is worse, food in all its forms, has no ability to feel, to love, to show love, nothing, nada, nil. Yet we give it that power. So much expectation. In essence, what you are really doing is handing over your power to an object or objects that remains at the mercy of your choices. So instead of using food to numb our feelings or repress our feelings, or to fill a void, it is about opening up to that emptiness. Move into it. Explore it. Look for what it is you are really feeling and wanting. The answer is not in the fridge or the pantry. #embody #feelings #comfortfood #emotionaleating #professionaltherapist See more

03.01.2022 Just as you would feed, nurture and nourish a baby, so too should we do that to our feelings and emotions... When babies are born, they demand attention. Even in the animal kingdom, newborns are tended to by their parents. Imagine if we noticed and gave attention to our emotions and feelings in the same way. Our emotions are the core to our world. They drive our behaviours, our relationships and our day to day experiences. Yet, it is only when we have a really strong emotion ...or feeling that we are consciously aware of that feeling. It is only when intense or dominant anger, fear, unhappiness, joy, excitement, anticipation etc. arises that we pay attention to that experience of our feeling. Read on... https://www.janinerod.com/our-feelings-and-emotions-are-li/