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By The MotherMind Doctor When your close friend tells you she has trouble communicating and it turns out to be a brain tumour, this literally turns life on its head. My friend is a practicing GP and somehow we think doctors are above human tragedy but life happens to them, too. This was all the more shocking because she is in her mid 50s and she is a long practicing health proponent, eating a plant-based diet, with exercise built into her routine, and has Buddhist belie

As a psychiatrist, I spend my days working with people whose mental health is suffering. I prescribe medication. I refer for therapy. I think carefully about risk. That's the work, and I believe in it. But for years, I've also been quietly fascinated by something else: the growing body of evidence for wellbeing interventions that sit outside the clinic — in nature, in water, in heat and breath — and what they might offer alongside conventional care. The research has been accu

By The MotherMind Doctor The concerning trend around all corners of the internet involves ‘maxxing’ and started with maximising your status in gaming. Then it was picked up and extrapolated to popular use with obsessional intent on specific aspects of your life like your appearance with ‘looksmaxxing’ for your face, and your body with ‘gymmaxxing’.It can even be referred to for health pursuits like sleep, ‘sleepmaxxing’, and diet…yes maxxing; going so far as strategies such

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 © 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

By EK Wills Everyone touts the importance and need to focus on our mental health, yet precious little seems to be done about it. From diet and meditation to Employee Assist Programs, these patchwork approaches all target aspects of our mental health that are like Band-Aid strips on wounds already created. What if we actually took an holistic approach and looked at prevention? This week there was a landmark decision in WA around domestic violence. The government there has reco

By EK Wills Rarely do I plan anything for me but I like to put on events and usually do it for my kids. I do big birthday parties with elaborate themes and cakes as well as activities and it is all home-made. Interestingly, this is the picture for many women who feel they need to support the family and make everyone’s lives cohesive and harmonious. my daughter's cake for my birthday 2018 with Nana I’m planning a big birthday at the moment but this time for me. I decided if I

by EK Wills I recently had a patient lament that the system makes it so difficult to access services to mental health. That comment rings true for many people because there are so many options and so it can be difficult to navigate them. There is also a misconception that there is one place that fits all because it is ‘mental health’ and that is one ailment. In fact there are many types of mental health issues such as depression, domestic violence, trauma, psychosis: the list

by EK Wills Do you doubt yourself even when you have achieved goals you set for yourself? Or feel unloved even when surrounded by family and friends? Maybe you think there is something wrong with you because everyone else seems to have to it all together more than you do? These thoughts can form core beliefs that we operate with on a daily basis. In the psychological world, they are called schemas and can be seen as cognitive distortions that effect the way we function and c

By E K Wills Why do we get up every day, go to work/school, suffer the setbacks and strive for goals? Usually it’s because we want to, we are driven to do this and we are motivated by a biological sense of need. But what happens when the chemicals in the brain don’t function this way? And medication doesn't seem to help? What if you can be surrounded by positivity, opportunity and even success but not feel it? This is what happened in the maternal side of my family last week.

By EK Wills I recently heard that perfectionism in a child can be related to having an authoritarian and critical parent. And since there are traces of perfectionism in our family, it prompted me explore it. In looking at parenting styles, there is a mountain of research on theories, stages, approaches and interpretations. One common approach, sometimes called the Baumrind or Maccoby and Martin parenting styles (because they all contributed to the model), is based on two pa