Category: mental health
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Do I Really Have To Give Up Drinking?
My choice to drink less has nothing to do with “seeing the light” in terms of my health, or because I’ve managed to avoid the dangerous lure of addiction that runs through my family tree. It is not even based on the advice of my doctor – although I’m sure she would back me wholeheartedly.…
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Mental Illness: Why Love and Acceptance Must Be the First Line of Treatment
With love and acceptance – what I believe should be the first-line of treatment for people with mental illness – people like my son feel less isolated, judged and ashamed. Though “tough love” may be the gold standard approach to care for some mental illnesses, it is a risky choice and one that doesn’t necessarily…
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Trusting the Journey: The Secret to Happiness in Middle Age
It is only now, in middle age, that I am finally accepting that I don’t possess the superpower (or indeed any superpower) to fix everything – no one does, not even those with the money to buy whatever they want or need. Money may be able to buy rockets, but it can’t buy you back…
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It’s Obvious To Me Why Women Are So Tired
COVID may have killed more men, but it is women it has hit the hardest. We are holding things together, but we are breaking as we carry the emotional and caring burden.
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Do You Consider Yourself “Woke”?
There are many “boomers” and middle-aged parents like me, I imagine, who have been forced over the past couple of years to ask their kids for the meaning of the term “woke”. Which was why I was less ashamed to admit my ignorance about the word “sonder” when a family member mentioned it recently. Have…
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9 Surprising Truths I discovered About Myself In 2020
Compared to many people, I was fortunate to emerge from 2020 relatively unscathed. Admittedly, certain elements of our brief lockdown in Sydney tested me, but because my job carried on pretty much as usual (and I don’t get out much anyway), there were few noticeable changes in my day-to-day life. However, I don’t think anyone…
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The Truth About The Mask Of Mental Illness
It turns out I haven’t quite finished writing about masks. Today, however, instead of talking about clinical masks, I want to talk about a different type – the mask that society forces people with mental illness to wear. It is the mask of being well – that many of us expect them to wear, even…
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“Clear intentions” may help you focus in lockdown, but treading water is also fine
It’s very easy to get sucked in by the words on those memes about writing a novel or finding a cure for cancer during this period of isolation, especially if you’re a perfectionist like me. After all, who doesn’t want to defy the challenge posed by this pandemic and come out at the end of…
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How’s Everyone Coping With The Latest COVID-19 Isolation Restrictions?
So…how’s everyone travelling? YOU’RE NOT, I assume, and neither will you ever consider booking a cruise ever again, I would take a guess (if you’re of sound mind). Photo by Curology on Unsplash In the spirit of Gloria Gaynor, I am surviving, although as you can imagine, this is not a great time for hypochondriacs.…
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How You Can Help Bridge The Gap Between Rich and Poor This Valentines Day
I hate to name-drop, but I found myself in the same breathing space as two former prime ministers a couple of days ago. The first was Malcolm Turnbull, one of the many speakers at the Side By Side conference run by the Wayside Chapel, who had been invited to discuss the crucial role of students…
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I’m An Empath, So Why Can’t I Cut Myself Some Slack?
I’ve been really grumpy over the past few weeks. I can tell I’ve not been my usual happy-go-lucky self because I’ve seen that fear in the old man’s eyes each time we pass each other, and he has been uncommonly brave and accused me of being “unreasonable” several times. Photo by Dale de Vera on Unsplash We’ve both…
Louisa Simmonds 