Mental Health

For many people, the festive season is a wonderful and happy time. For others, however, this time of year can actually be very difficult. The festive season can be a period that reinforces the extent to which people feel alone, or serves as a reminder of loss. For some it’s a very busy work period and no time for celebrations or even any rest. Whomever you are and where ever you fit there are several strategies that can help. In his latest article for HIF, mental health expert, Dr. Happy from The Happiness Institute shares five things you can do to have a (relatively) merry festive season.

It's great to have goals. Often, our goals are about changes we want to make in our lives - like eating right, getting fit, or doing better at work or school. The easy part is knowing what change you want to make, but the challenge is planning how to get there and sticking to it. With this in mind, mental health expert Dr. Happy, shares his simple strategy on how to achieve your goals by implementing positive changes.

Many of us are often guilty of speaking before thinking, even to ourselves. But, have you ever thought about how self-talk and the way we speak to others can have an impact on their mental health? In his latest article for HIF, Dr. Happy shares his expert advice on how to be more mindful with others and improving positive self-talk.  

Did you know that 8 people take their lives each and every day in Australia? And for every one of these people who takes their lives approximately another 20 make an attempt to take their lives.  According to Psychologist and mental health expert, Dr. Happy, “Not everyone suffering mental ill-health will be curled up in a corner or tucked under their doona. Many more, in fact, will be sitting beside you on the bus or train, at work, or chatting to you over coffee or lunch. Take a minute, then, to ask ALL your friends and family, your colleagues and acquaintances if they’re OK today; it won’t take up much of your time and I guarantee it won’t be something you regret.”  In this article, Dr. Happy shares his own personal experience with mental health and the advice he has to offer.

Did you know that mental illness among Tradies is 6-7% higher than the general population? As a culture dominated by the “tough male” stereotype (i.e. a man, that is, who doesn’t complain or seek help), this means that between 70-80% are suffering excessively and more importantly in silence. As August is “Tradies’ National Health Month (TNHM)”, we asked our mental health expert and psychologist, Dr. Happy to discuss the importance about speaking out about mental ill-health and encouraging others to speak out and seek help too.

Did you know on average, a typical Netflix user watches at least 12 hours of TV each week; which is almost 2 hours each and every day. According to Mental Health expert and HIF blogger, Dr. Happy, “Most users don’t spread out their viewing evenly. Rather, many binge watch episodes or series on a regular basis. After the pleasure and excitement can come tiredness and exhaustion. Some viewers have even reported feeling depressed they have no more episodes to watch!” With this in mind, Dr. Happy shares his do’s and don’ts when it comes to binge watching your next series.

Have you ever experienced the “winter blues”? According to psychologist Dr. Happy, “It’s important to stay mentally healthy during the colder, darker months. We naturally tend to hibernate once it starts to get cold”. With this in mind, Dr. Happy shares his expert advice on how to avoid feeling blue this winter.

Did you know that approximately 1 in 4 or 5 people will experience an episode of mental illness each year? According to psychologist Dr. Happy, “thankfully these days no one needs any excuse or special occasion to discuss the important and global issue of mental health. Every workplace and every team can be affected by mental health and every team leader needs to have an understanding of how to recognise warning signs and how to respond appropriately”. In this article, Dr. Happy shares his expert advice on managing mental health in the workplace.