Lifestyle Psychology in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory | Psychologist

Lifestyle Psychology

Locality: Canberra, Australian Capital Territory

Phone: +61 477 918 275

Address: 2 Franz Bormann Close Gungahlin 2912 Canberra, ACT, Australia

Website: http://www.lifestylepsychology.com

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25.01.2022 Your environment is EVERYTHING! The brain is Neuroplastic - it adapts to its environment. Your environment is everything you SEE, HEAR, FEEL, TOUCH and TASTE.... If it's more negative things - the body will signal to the brain to send out stress hormones like cortisol. If it's more positive things - the body will signal out to the brain to send out happy hormones like dopamine and serotonin. Be mindful of what is around you. It will impact your brain and YOU. So how many positive things can you bring into your environment today?

23.01.2022 Morning Canberra! It's a gorgeous 24 degree day. Make the most of today

20.01.2022 "I can't do this". "You already are". ...words from therapy today. ... Lifeline ABC Canberra Visit Canberra

20.01.2022 "You can't stop the waves but you can learn how to surf" John Kabat Zinn (Mr Mindfullness) Used this as an example today when talking to a client about anxiety. We are not trying to stop the anxiety, that's not the goal. We are learning ways we can work with it.

19.01.2022 September 10 - RU OK day? I'm going to tell you things from the other side - when the answer is "No, I'm not OK". It's this part that people generally get stumped on. What do I say? How do I say it? Who am I to ask? ... As a Psychologist, asking this question multiple times a day, and every day ( 6 out of 7 days lately), I can let you know some of the responses. By the time someone is sitting opposite me they have some insight to say they are not ok. How did they get to this stage? Why didn't they help themselves sooner? Some don't know the answer to this. Some will have the courage to say "I was afraid" "I didn't want to be judged" "I'm supposed to be able to deal with it myself" "I thought no one could help me" "There was no time to stop" Coincidently, this year, R U OK day and World Suicide Prevention Day fall on the same day. What’s the leading cause of death among people 15 44 years? Suicide - which in Australia is growing year on year, with a 9.1% increase from 2017 to 2018. (It makes me anxious to look at the numbers for 2019 to 2020). Mental health issues are one of a number of causes that contribute to this worrying trend, with depression present in 43% of suicides between 2017 and 2018. We are human. We can become fatigued. It all can seem like too much. We are not alone in thinking this way. We all struggle, myself included. The perception of perfection can keep us from helping ourselves. Give yourself permission to be human. Talk to people about how you are feeling, this allows people to open up about themselves. Stop the stigma. Start a conversation. A conversation has the power to change or save a life. If you or anyone you know needs help: Lifeline on 13 11 14 Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800 MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978 Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636 Headspace on 1800 650 890 ReachOut at au.reachout.com Trees painted blue in rural parts of Australia to create the awareness of mental health and encourage people to ask for help. Lifeline Lifeline Canberra Beyond Blue ABC Canberra

18.01.2022 Conversations in therapy... Top bloke: "It's been 1 year alcohol free Zeb!"... Zeb: "No way! Already!! You're amazing! Top bloke: "I always had you in my corner believing in me even when I didn't believe in me, you did. Thank you" Zeb:

18.01.2022 October is ALL about mental health. So what's mental fitness? Much like physical fitness, our brain requires maintenance to keep it fit, healthy and capable of doing the mammoth tasks it does. The brain is like a muscle if you don’t give it a regular workout, it loses tone. Here are some tips to help you improve your mental fitness:... 1. Exercise for 30 minutes every day. Physical exercise delivers oxygen to the brain. This can help to improve your memory, reasoning abilities and reaction times. 2. Read often and read widely. Keeping an active interest in the world around you will help to exercise your brain and improve your mental fitness. 3. Boost your levels of vitamin B. Eat plenty of wholegrain cereals, leafy greens and dairy foods. Vitamin B is essential to brain health. 4. Challenge your intellect and memory. Stretch yourself mentally by learning a new language, doing the cryptic crossword or playing chess. This is important for brain health and good for your social life. 5. Take time to relax. Excess stress hormones like cortisol can be harmful to the brain. Schedule regular periods of relaxation into your week. 6. Take up a new hobby. Learning something new gives the ‘grey matter’ a workout and builds neural pathways in the brain. 7. Actively manage your health.Conditions such as diabetes or heart disease can affect mental performance if not diagnosed and treated. Have regular check-ups with your doctor to prevent future problems. 8. Engage in stimulating conversations. Talk to friends and family about a wide range of topics. This gives your brain an opportunity to explore, examine and enquire. 9. Take up a manual activity or craft. Hobbies such as woodwork and gardening or activities like skipping require you to move both sides of the body at the same time, in precise movements. This can help to improve your spatial awareness and increase your reaction time. 10. Exercise your brain with others. Watch, question and answer game shows and enjoy the competitive spirit. Involve the family in regular games to test their general knowledge. You don't have to do it all at once. Start with one item and go from there. My fave is number 5!

17.01.2022 Tips for parents mental health living in the digital world with teenagers. Keep breathing

17.01.2022 A must watch. Start somewhere, build on relationships while you can. ... Menslink Blokes Psychology Men's Health Mentalhealth.gov ParentTV Maggie Dent Mental Health Foundation ACT Mengineering Mens Health Downunder Dr Justin Coulson's Happy Families

17.01.2022 You have permission to feel tired, over stretched and just buggered from time to time. This does not mean you have failed as a parent, employee, friend or as a person. It DOES mean you have needs and perhaps overlooking them continuously has resulted in you feeling rather ordinary about yourself? Be kind to yourself, you're only human.

16.01.2022 Feeling overwhelmed. Exhausted. No wonder the brain is struggling Here's why experiencing stress makes it more difficult for us to deal with stress. And 7 ways you can help your brain cope

15.01.2022 You have survived every single thing you thought you wouldn't. #whiteribbonday

12.01.2022 TWO ROUND RUGS. I was inspired by The Counseling Teacher I went out and purchased round rugs. On the floor of my consulting rooms there are two large round woven rugs. ... One with a black border, one without. These large round rugs represent: 1. What is in my control. 2 What I cannot control. Clients are reminded to ask themselves which rug they are in when discussing a concern. The immediate realisation that something is beyond your control allows you to have choice of whether you choose to struggle with it, think about it, accept it. It gives you a different perspective of a problem which you were finding yourself tangled in. We spend too much time anticipating the future while avoiding the very moment we are in. This creates stress. If you find ourselves constantly standing on the 'out of my control' rug, it will not come as a surprise that you are in a constant state of stress. Be present. Be cautious of the 'what I cannot control' rug, stroll back to 'what is in my control' and notice your stress levels become more manageable. ParentTV Lifeline Lifeline Canberra My Gungahlin Smiling Mind MensLine Australia

11.01.2022 How much can you be absolutely certain about in life? Does anyone have a job for life, a guarantee of good health, or absolute certainty over what tomorrow will bring? Behaviors such as worrying, micromanaging, and procrastinating offer the illusion of having some control over a situation, but what do they change in reality? The truth is no matter how much you try to plan and prepare for every possible outcome, life will find a way of surprising you. All striving for certaint...y really does is fuel worry and anxiety. Question your need for certainty when you find yourself being mentally occupied by it. Jangandfox

11.01.2022 Perspective. Food as a reward. It just seems to soothe you and make you feel better as you eat bite after bite. You like the way food makes you feel. When you eat, your body releases dopamine, which acts on the reward circuitry in your brain.... Here's the thing - food is not a reward. Food is fuel. Reversing your habit of using food as a reward is pretty simple (simple yes, not suggesting it's easy), but does require you to really pay attention to how you are using food and when food serves as a reward. The next time one of these situations occurs when you would normally reward yourself with food, stop and ask yourself what you are doing. Become present. Make a conscious choice. Be conscious of your goals, your values. Is the choice of food you are choosing really a reward or self sabotage?

10.01.2022 I know my posts may feel a little biased towards men, this is not intentional! I promise I see women too! Lots of women in fact. If I looked at my case load I would say it's 50 - 50. Honestly speaking this is something I'm very proud of. I'm grateful for the men who come in through recommendations through their mates or GPs. This means men are talking about mental health - and that's awesome! ... Stigma seems to be more apparent in men than women. We need to STOP the stigma and start a conversation. Cheers to the men I see, thank you for looking after YOU, doing so has significant impacts on those around you. #InternationalMensDay #mentalhealthawareness

10.01.2022 Canberra you shamelessly flaunt four seasons with so much grace Beautiful capture to bring the chilly weekend to a close ABC Canberra Visit Canberra Lifeline Canberra

09.01.2022 Let negative thoughts flow away like a waterfall. You don't need to plunge into the stream after them. Simply watch them as they cascade and swirl away. Calm

08.01.2022 Intrusive thoughts. A difficult day. I could not help be overwhelmed by the distress a client was in because of his intrusive thoughts. It was hard. It was hard to watch a grown man cry and hear from him how helpless he felt. Unwanted intrusive thoughts are stuck thoughts that cause great distress. They seem to come from out of nowhere, arrive with a whoosh, and cause a great deal of anxiety.... There are many myths about unwanted intrusive thoughts. One of the most distressing is that having such thoughts mean that you unconsciously want to do the things that come into your mind. This is simply not true, and, in fact, the opposite is true. It is the effort people use to fight the thought that makes it stick and fuels its return. The only way to effectively deal with intrusive obsessive thoughts is by reducing one’s sensitivity to them. Not by being reassured that it won’t happen or is not true. What helps? - Label these thoughts as "intrusive thoughts." - Remind yourself that these thoughts are automatic and not up to you. - Accept and allow the thoughts into your mind. Do not try to push them away. - Float, and practice allowing time to pass. - Remember that less is more. Pause. Give yourself time. There is no urgency. - Expect the thoughts to come back again - Continue whatever you were doing prior to the intrusive thought while allowing the anxiety to be present Not helpful: - trying to figure out what the thoughts mean. - engaging in these thoughts Lifeline Beyond Blue Black Dog Institute

08.01.2022 Your words are powerful. Be careful how you talk to yourself.

05.01.2022 "Today was a Difficult Day," said Pooh. There was a pause. "Do you want to talk about it?" asked Piglet.... "No," said Pooh after a bit. "No, I don't think I do." "That's okay," said Piglet, and he came and sat beside his friend. "What are you doing?" asked Pooh. "Nothing, really," said Piglet. "Only, I know what Difficult Days are like. I quite often don't feel like talking about it on my Difficult Days either. "But goodness," continued Piglet, "Difficult Days are so much easier when you know you've got someone there for you. And I'll always be here for you, Pooh." And as Pooh sat there, working through in his head his Difficult Day, while the solid, reliable Piglet sat next to him quietly, swinging his little legs...he thought that his best friend had never been more right." Winnie-the-Poohisms

05.01.2022 Small steps can feel like huge leaps when we start to make the changes we've wanted to see in our lives. It was lovely to sit across from a woman who was still in disbelief about the huge leaps she had taken. What had stopped her earlier? Self confidence - a lack of it. ... Her confidence was visible today. She was smiling, laughing, bright eyed and animated - it was just awesome.

04.01.2022 Being a father is learning about the strengths you didn't know you had and dealing with the fears you didn't know existed. A round of applause for all the fathers / father like figures who are trying. As long as you're trying - it's making an impact. They may not have told you this yet but I promise you - you will make a difference. ... Happy father's day folks

04.01.2022 Great day for a walk folks

04.01.2022 Movember is ALL about men

03.01.2022 What a year 2020 has been! Many clients have been coming in with just too much on. The stress, the fatigue, restless sleep, lack of concentration, changes in weight, conflict in relationships - it's overwhelming! It's been a shocker of a year, and thats putting it nicely. As we approach December and the year comes to an end - and we want to (enthusiastically!) say goodbye to 2020, now is the time to take a moment and assess your health and quality of life. ... How is your mental load? What is mental load? It's the never-ending to-do lists, organising, prioritising, and planning that helps keep our work our home, family and social lives running from one day to the next. When the mental load isn't shared in households it can lead to stress and fatigue. Are you taking the time to look after yourself? If the mental load is feeling too heavy for you - communicate it. Do something about it. Don't drag this into the next year or ever the next month. We need to be revisiting our values and reminding ourselves our mental and physical health needs to be on that list so we can better manage our mental load. PS Xmas is 4 weeks away!