Blog

By EK Wills A week in Bali was an opportunity to reflect on what really matters but the noise of distraction – good and bad- drowned out any true contemplation. The 6 hour flight out of Sydney was a captive start to a downloaded audible version of Waking Up by Sam Harris. I was trying to get some clarity for how I want to settle into post pandemic life, now I have completed my training. This was the opportunity to step out of the fishbowl to gain an outside perspective and ma

I get a nervous stomach or ‘butterflies’, sweat more and my voices has been known to shake when trying to give a confident response. So I do

Anger can be a motivator for change through frustration, encouraging us to address outstanding issues but it needs to be channelled well.

Women experience mental health issues with much higher rates of depression and seasonal affective disorder (4-6 times more than men) and the

As your child now has their own opinions, it does little to try to impose yours at this stage.

They can learn to cook, clean, garden as part of their contribution and it can be mutually decided on who does which tasks.

If you have found a way that works with your child, then stick to it and reinforce it. While each child is unique, it helps to continue with

If you can’t be calm, make them safe and WALK AWAY

By EK Wills There has been much discussion about ADHD in the media and it appears like an epidemic of ADHD is upon us. Just this week, Australia has released its first clinical practice guidelines and as a psychiatrist and parent, it is an area of study that I am interested in. For those who haven’t focussed on this (pun intended), ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and is a neuro-developmental condition. The symptoms of this condition are listed in the

By EK Wills After my post on medicine training received such a great response, and requests for guidance followed, I thought it would be helpful to put together a succinct guide for those embarking on the journey, particularly for those starting as mature age or with a family. While this is not comprehensive, it is a start point since there is no guide book (a little like parenting) and we can all use a helping hand. 7 Steps plus One Important Point to Getting Through Medicin

What is a ‘Karen’? And why do we have this term? Perhaps it is another way to keep women in their place. by EK Wills Karen is used as a derogatory name for mostly Generation X women, who speak out directly about perceived injustices. From a generalised point of view, I would argue that this persona has been created by society and developed as a reaction to circumstance. According to a recent article in the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH), the term refers to ‘white, uptight and mi

By EK Wills We have heard it all before: hysterical and emotional women. Emotions are there as a guide to inform us of the body’s needs and, if ignored, can lead to stress, burnout, and mental health issues. In this new era of validation of gender, surely this needs to include the strengths that women, as a generalisation, can tap into social nuances and bring intuitive responses to circumstance. Currently, the pursuit of the bottom line tends to sideline these qualities. The

by E K Wills No preconceived ideas could prepare me for what I would discover during my 6 months in gaol for a drug term. The system is another world and we, as health professionals, are guests, not the hosts if you will. We work inside the corrections system and everything requires liaison and is bounded by their governance. This means we only have access to patients if it is granted. As an employee, you leave the outside world behind you when you have your retina scanned, w

For those who go through the trials of getting into medicine training, they are aware that the relationship they have entered deserves their respect. But what they don’t realise is that it is still hampered by inequalities that make it impossible to emerge from unscathed. Just like domestically violent relationships, there is a sense of personal shame if you are unable to tolerate the structural abuse and lack of ability to control your working life. It starts with the expect

By EK Wills The world has turned on itself: first the pandemic tried to reduce the harm humans are doing to it by pruning the population and now we are doing it to each other. Just like playground antics, the big loudmouth bullies (Trump) point the finger at the quiet achiever bullies (China) who turn on the little kids (Australia). But it doesn’t stop there. Now the little kids are beating each other up (race wars) and shaking their fist at the only power source they can a

By E K Wills Unusual times call for a new approach to schooling. During the lockdown, we are not officially obliged to keep our kids at home if we are essential workers, but many are deciding to keep kids out of school where they can. (Please, teachers, be kind to those parents who do not have an option to do so if kids are too young to stay home alone: just as others need to consider you are also at the forefront of this crisis.) If your children are old enough to stay h

Survival Mode for Mental Health: a list of things you can do to help your mental health during the lockdown

By Dr EK Wills So it seems the health department have evolving recommendations and everyone has different advice to help flatten the curve and make it manageable for the health service. But what does this mean for everyone every day? No one has come out with a simple list of what we need to do to stay safe and generally do our bit for the community. Based on what I have seen so far and what appears to be working across the board, I have generated a simple checklist to make i

By EK Wills Why do we feel the need to take on others’ opinions? Today I went to pick out a new pair of glasses and I took someone along to assist the process, who I consider to be a good judge of style aka my husband. Most of the options were dull and I was looking for something with more spark. My support person was choosing different ones to me and it was taking a long time. The sales assistant was most helpful, upsold me to a fancy frame, and I walked away feeling slightl

By EK Wills © Coco Reid Why do women not get to say what happens with their bodies? And why are we still talking about this in this day and age? Abortion is a criminal offense in NSW which is different to other states in Australia. It can be confusing to work out what is actually going on so a summary can help put it in perspective. A recent article by the ABC covers it in depth but I have simplified it below: Queensland decriminalised abortion in late 2018 - for any reason u