Liz O'Brien Wellbeing in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | Medical and health

Liz O'Brien Wellbeing

Locality: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Phone: +61 403 818 523

Address: 1/16 Ormond Road, Elwood 3184 Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Website: http://lizobrien.com.au

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25.01.2022 One of the hardest things to do, when we’re trying to create healthy habits, is to start them. The second hardest thing is to stick with them. In today's video, I share a simple & effective strategy to create & maintain healthy habits to support your wellbeing & happiness.

23.01.2022 This week, winter hit us all of a sudden it’s a bit of a shock to the system after the glorious sunny Autumn days we’ve been having. Instead of walking on the beach under blue skies, today I’m rugged up in a rain jacket with the hood pulled down as low as it will go When the weather is horrible like this, it would be easy to let healthy habits fall by the wayside. Our usual routines have been upended during lockdown as it is, and we’re grappling with creating new systems... for working at home and maybe juggling that with home schooling as well. But I know how important regular exercise is to my health, and with the pool closed for the foreseeable future, out I go and brave the elements! (There are actually people swimming in the bay even on these cold mornings, and I’m torn between admiration and disbelief!) We don’t know how long lockdown will continue. My approach to has been to find the positives in it. As I mentioned in my last newsletter, I want this time to be one I can look back on with a sense of satisfaction and pleasure . As a wise friend put it this morning: ‘Don’t count the days. Make the days count.’ One way to do that is to stay softly centred by creating a gentle rhythm for your days and weeks. I won’t bore you with all the research, but here are some simple ways to give your days some shape and support your health: * Regular exercise to keep the ‘couch sores’ at bay * Nutritious meals rather than random or frequent fridge raids * Not spending excessive time in front of the screen instead, read or listen to a book, podcasts, paint/knit/whatever * Sleep (a regular bedtime and rising time) * Meditation or yoga or other meditative practice You don’t have to be rigid about these things there’s no pleasure in that! These practices are meant to support you, not cage you or add stress to your life! Other things that keep our brains and hearts and bodies engaged in a healthy way are: * Staying connected to friends and family * Enjoying nature * Enjoying the wonderful offerings of art and music and great talks that have been put up online I’m happy to answer questions via email or a quick phone call if you want to brainstorm a bit Or visit my website for more blogs and information about wellbeing, mindfulness, PSYCH-K and other stuff https://lizobrien.com.au/blog/ Meanwhile, stay well and let’s come out of this at least as well as when it started, if not better!

23.01.2022 It’s so lovely to see creativity finding ways to be expressed during difficult times. It’s a bit like those hardy and persistent little flowers that poke through the cracks in the footpath in even the most desolate places. For some people, the stress and anxiety resulting from isolation due to Coronavirus lockdown has increased. For others, the extra time has allowed their creativity to flourish. Creativity and humour are both known to be very effective strategies for deali...ng with stress, anxiety, depression and grief. So enjoy this short little video which was made by the young daughter of a friend. She won the Under 18 category in the Lido cinemas Isolation Film Festival. Congratulations Lexie! https://vimeo.com/417139040

21.01.2022 One of the hardest things to do, when we’re trying to create healthy habits & rhythms, is to start them. The second hardest thing is to stick with them. In today's video, I share a simple & effective technique for creating and maintaining healthy habits to support your wellbeing.

21.01.2022 What is normal these days? And what's it going to be like when we come out of this pandemic? And the really big one - who do we want to be in that 'new normal' as a community and the individuals within it? Can we create a better world and how? If you're feeling like a puzzled pug, then I've shared below the email I sent to my clients recently, pondering these very questions ... To join my mailing list, message me here or email me [email protected]

20.01.2022 I've got a question for you ... Here we are in lockdown again in Victoria. We thought we’d got through the worst of it, but here we go again . And for many people, the second time is feeling harder than the first. We’re all aware of the negative impacts that lockdown and isolation is causing, from mental health to increases in domestic violence. But is there an upside to lockdown? Watch the video to find out

20.01.2022 Laughter really is such a wonderful medicine, and this clip made me laugh out loud! https://youtu.be/PieiyaPMoe0

18.01.2022 Our deep connection with animals and nature doesn't need words. This therapy horse visits the sick and dying https://youtu.be/qXn94K-3l5o

15.01.2022 We hear a bit about the value of silence or quiet, but a lot of people don’t enjoy silence or even don’t feel comfortable with it, so what’s the big deal? It’s probably easier to understand the benefits of silence or quiet by understanding the effects that noise has on our mental and physical health.

13.01.2022 You’re cruising along nicely, things are going well. Then out of the blue, life throws you a curve ball. You don’t want to get hit in the head with it! You want to be able to either catch it or dodge it. Here are some tips on how to be resilient or adaptable enough to do that.

12.01.2022 How to water the garden with my crazy garden helper! The garden used to be such a peaceful spot. I loved spending some quiet, focused time early in the morning before the heat hit or at the end of day, hose in my hand, seeing drooping flowers lift up their heads and wilted leaves revive as they drank up the cool water. Ah, watering the garden - so tranquil and meditative. Or it was until Clancy joined the household late last year.... Clancy loves the garden. And he’s a very enthusiastic helper! In his excitement, he leaps at the water spray and comes crashing down on small plants, or he runs like a loony through their fresh cool leaves and snaps off small branches as he goes. Puddles around their roots are fun to dig holes in. And then, exhausted, he flops down on top of damp springy native grass bushes to cool off - they now look more like ground creepers than their natural upright tufty effect. Oh and then there’s his pruning and dead-heading skills with flowering plants sigh! These days it’s an exercise in damage control. So much for my mindful watering practice. I could lock him inside or tie him up, but there are a few reasons I don’t. Firstly, he’s so happy to be out there with me, and he’s just a pup so he’ll learn (and my garden will hopefully survive!) And the second reason is that he makes me laugh out loud with his antics which is just as therapeutic in its own way as a silent mindful practice. Lastly,it’s also been a good lesson for me about letting go of my expectations about how my garden should be looking if it hadn’t been attacked by Clancy. Instead of focusing on the shoulds, I get to experience the delight and fun of what is, even if it isn’t perfect. That’s why my bedraggled garden helper gets to stay on the team!

11.01.2022 If, like Clancy, you sometimes get that Monday Morning Feeling, then message me for a free 10 minute chat, and I'll share with you a fast and easy way to move you from Blah! to Bring It On!

11.01.2022 Fantastic FREE movie online until 3 June! Please share - it's a great way to get the conversation going about the value of mindfulness to our mental, physical and emotional wellbeing. Made by Australian journalist, Shannon Harvey. https://www.myyearoflivingmindfully.com

10.01.2022 About 40 percent of what we do is on autopilot. That’s great as long as the behaviours are ones we want to keep in our lives, because they support us to be happy or healthy or on time or whatever. But some of our automated behaviours aren’t in our best interest and we don’t intend to do them, yet keep finding that we’ve done it again - skipped the gym, reached for the extra biscuits or poured another wine. It’s where we often struggle in making healthy changes, - it’s where ...we need to be consciously aware of our actions, to be making aware choices and not acting out of habit. So in today’s video, I talk about making values-based changes, and teasing that out using the Cost/Benefit analysis for your SMART Goal that we looked at last time, so that you can identify not just why you want to do something, but what might be unconsciously sabotaging you.

09.01.2022 The way animals respond to music is delightful in this video. When I was doing my piano practice as a child, our dog used to come and lie next to me. And as an adult, I had a crazy cat who would crawl up the front of my jeans and jumper and snuggle right under my chin as I was singing scales - the higher I got, the higher she climbed! Her claws made it a bit tricky to stay focused

08.01.2022 We all know that stressed colleagues are hard to work with. So of course I want my furry office assistant to be happy and healthy! No surprises there - I’m into wellbeing, it's my job ... That’s why Clancy had a staff wellbeing session last Friday. He had pamper day - a sort of doggy spa and trim. It was his first time so he wasn’t too sure about it to start with But look at that happy face. He had a great time and he knows he looks very debonair! Research shows that happy, healthy staff are more productive, make fewer mistakes, work more effectively in teams, and take less sick leave. Stress, on the other hand, affects our physical and mental health. That, in turn, impairs strategic thinking and decision making. Stress leads to burnout, absenteeism, staff turnover and stress claims. Not to mention the negative effects stress has on morale, culture and communication. The costs of stress is huge for organisations. The Harvard Business Review recognises simple de-stress strategies, such as building short breaks into the work day, refresh the brain and improve effective thinking and communication. You can read more here: https://hbr.org//making-work-less-stressful-and-more-engag When Clancy needs time to relax at work, he heads for his red bean bag. As you can see, he's pretty shaggy, the photo was taken before his staff pamper day ... So what would support you and your colleagues to be happy, healthy and on top of stress? I can teach you and your teams how to implement powerful de-stress skills using mindfulness tools and strategies to reduce and manage stress levels, and increase wellbeing and effectiveness at work. Ask the graduate nurses in one of Melbourne’s biggest and busiest hospitals - the workshops I deliver to them each year gives them tools to support themselves and therefore their patients, in a very demanding environment. If it works for them, it will work for you! Read about the range of workshops (face to face workshops or via Zoom) and what my clients say here: https://lizobrien.com.au Give me a call or email me to find out how, together, we can support your staff to feel and do their best!

07.01.2022 It all started last weekend. I was out on my nature strip digging up clumps of mangy grass and weeds, and sticking in cuttings of geraniums and succulents and agapanthus. A friend drove by and leaned out the window and asked 'What do you call this?!' Cheeky bugger! 'It's an exercise in optimism' I told him. And it turns out my optimism was well-placed! It was a sunny morning, and people were out walking their dogs or getting their exercise. Most of them I didn't know,...Continue reading

07.01.2022 Team Clancy would love to hear from you if you're ready for some counselling and coaching to create a fantastic 2021 by blasting those old unhelpful self-sabotaging beliefs. If your organisation wants to kick start the year with some fast and effective mindfulness skills, then we can help there too! So send us an email at [email protected]

07.01.2022 Here's a reminder about the Easter basket that has great freebies from lots of people with skills to share ....

06.01.2022 Our relationship with ourselves is the foundation of good mental health, but during isolation because of Coronavirus, many people are finding it hard to be 'with themselves' ... In case you don't receive my email newsletters, I'm sharing it here too. So if you'd like to be on my mailing list, please email me at [email protected] Stay well!

04.01.2022 I often speak with my clients or in workshops about mindful self-compassion, and how feeling connected and a sense of belonging really supports our mental and physical wellbeing. In this video post I've shared below, the 2 koalas are adorable and you'll no doubt feel some beautiful positive emotions as you watch them. Then use the lovely 2 step process which has been included by Mary, and notice the feelings of self-love and self-acceptance - it's a beautiful way to develop them.

04.01.2022 I know things are looking pretty grim in Victoria this week, and I don’t want to make light of it. But I want to remind you that, even when we can’t change or control the situation we find ourselves in, we can change or manage the way we respond to it. This isn’t pretending that everything is fine or sweeping it under the carpet and repressing our feelings. What it means is that, despite our circumstances, we can decide how we want to respond to the feelings that come up - d...o we let them overwhelm us and make us fearful or anxious or angry? Or do we acknowledge those feelings and then decide what to do with them, based on what would support our mental and physical health? Because when we take care of ourselves, then we can be our best self and share that kind, calm self to our family and friends and community - heaven knows we need it right now. If we focus on how bad things are, it can pull us down into hopelessness and negativity, so find ways to lift your mood and your energy, whether that’s cuddling your cat, walking your dog, spending time with loved ones or watching a movie that makes you smile. Then you're in a stronger state to deal with the situation. So enjoy this fabulous video - you won’t be able to stop grinning or tapping your feet! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXvJ8UquYoo

01.01.2022 I heard someone talking the other day about how we need to be patient while things get back to normal. He was that patience is a virtue but that just seemed to just make his listener even more impatient and irritable. So what is meant by the saying that patience is a virtue? It’s certainly not very common in our busy lives, is it? And to some people, it smacks of being passive or slow or unambitious. It got me thinking about the value of patience, and whether sometimes impatience is appropriate too. So I wanted to explore them a little bit from a mindfulness perspective.

01.01.2022 Here's something I've been mulling over since a PSYCH-K client and I spoke about it recently. For want of a better term, I’ve called it Lockdown Telepathy. Now I know this sounds a bit woo woo but bear with me! I hadn’t seen this client in nearly a year, and a few weeks ago he rang to book an appointment. Oddly enough, he had popped into my mind a couple of times in the week before he called, which I mentioned. And he got quite animated and told me that the previous week,... 5 people he’d rung said the same things - that they had either just picked up their phone to call him or they were thinking about ringing him, at the very moment that he rang them. Most of us have had similar experiences but we put it down to coincidence and don’t think about it anymore. But because it happened to him 5 times within a week, my client was really struck by it. How come they seemed to be so tuned in to each other? According to science, there’s a lot more data out there than the rational mind is aware of or has conscious access to. And that data can be extremely useful when making decisions, big or small. If you’re as intrigued by this as I am, then read more in my blog about this https://lizobrien.com.au/blog/ And if you’ve had similar experiences or have your own theories about Lockdown Telepathy, then I’d love to hear about them!