People often ask us for ways to help them feel better during the day.  While the answer can seem complicated and involve a deep analysis of ones nutritional habits, sleep routine, exercise program, in fact it is often better just to pause and take a look at our thoughts. 

Let’s look at the premise that, if you can conceive it, you can achieve it.  On the surface that seems like a good thing, however what if we only conceive negative emotions and thoughts, what then?  It leads to worry and anxiety.

If we break down the word, worry, in a little more detail we can start to identify what we are worried about:

1. Things that can’t be changed - past events
2. Things that will never happen - future events
3. Illogical deductive reasoning - wrong conclusions
4. Petty miscellaneous things - did I leave the iron on?
5. Real worries that we can’t do anything about - outside of your control
6. Real worries that we might be able to do something about - maybe able to control...

2nd - 6th November marks Stress Awareness Week - but as you open your eyes on Monday morning and progress through the week, the team at WorkLifeWell ask you, what would life be like without stress?

We’ve all had times in our lives where we felt exceptionally stressed - but have you ever noticed that while you may be finding it difficult to breathe, your colleague, who is under similar pressure, appears to be acting like he’s on a two-week vacation. How can we all be so different at handling stress? How likely are we to suffer with anxiety and mental health challenges as a result of this stress? To answer these questions, we need to travel back to 1977 and look at the model proposed by Zubin and Spring.    

These researchers proposed a theory which suggested that we are all susceptible to suffering mental illness but our susceptibility varies due to different ‘vulnerabilities’ and our exposure to these factors. They proposed four main factors...

What do you think when we say the words, “mental health”.  Just pause for a second.  Did you think wellness or sickness?  Did you think of a depressed relative or an individual in quiet, zen-like calmness as they practice a mindful meditation class.  Unlike physical health, throughout history, society has become prejudicial to mental health and more importantly mental illness.  But, our past doesn’t have to be the deciding force in our future!  And thankfully, things are changing.

If we think of mental health more like working out at the gym, it helps move our focus towards training both our mental health and our mental fitness.  The buzz word in psychology for this is mental resilience.  So what type of mental sit-ups and press-ups can you do to train your mental health muscles?  Follow the WorkLifeWell Mental Health Workout with these easy daily steps.

Eat right - They say, you are what you eat, but what about...

For many of you, there will have been a time in your life where you felt anxious. From butterflies in the stomach, sweaty palms, a fast heart rate, increased breathing and a possible feeling of doom, you probably recognise some, if not all of these symptoms. 

Anxiety as a subject, however, is very complex with numerous categories, sub-classifications, diagnoses and experiences. It may surprise many of you that there is a difference between anxiety as a symptom versus an actual anxiety disorder. So what’s that difference?

Anxiety as a symptom is a normal reaction to stress. For some it can be quite motivating, while for others it can be disabling. On the other hand, an anxiety disorder tends to be more prolonged, out of context with the current stress, impairs many aspects of your life and can alter your ability to think straight.

So it is vital to continue with the discussion clarifying that this conversation is focused to the sensation of anxiety and not an anxiety...