Mental Health

Do you have a habit of jumping to conclusions quickly? According to Dr. Happy, "One of the greatest misperceptions of human functioning and especially, human thinking, is that we are, by and large, rational creatures. Although there’s no doubt we can and do think logically at times, there’s also no doubt that much of our thinking, much of the time, is nowhere near as rational or as accurate as we assume it to be." In this article, Dr Happy discusses some of the more common 'distortions' or 'thinking mistakes' we make and offers his advice on what we can do to combat these unhelpful and often unrealistic thoughts.

Do you fear that you will be judged by others in social situations? Do your fears cause you to avoid groups of people or group events because you think you might embarrass yourself? If you answered yes to these questions, then you're probably experiencing social anxiety. According to mental health expert and psychologist, Dr. Happy, "The most common example of social anxiety is a fear of public speaking; but it can also be experienced as extreme anxiety associated with eating or drinking in public, signing one’s name under scrutiny, and even using public toilet facilities. At the heart of social anxiety for everyone, however, is a fear of negative evaluation." The good news is that treatments for social anxiety are relatively effective for most people, most of the time, and relatively quickly. In this article, Dr. Happy discusses social phobia and provides his advice on how to manage these fears.  

As we say goodbye to the heat of summer, and begin to ease in to the colder and darker months of winter, some of you might be wondering why your mood is lower or why, in the past, you’ve felt sad and/or lethargic during this time of year. According to our resident mental health blogger, Dr. Happy, "The answer might be that you’ve had Seasonal Affective Disorder (otherwise known by its strangely descriptive acronym, SAD) this, in very simple terms, is a form of depression. More specifically, it’s a form of depression that’s related to seasonal changes.The reality is, that in Australia where our seasons are not really that extreme, there’s limited evidence for SAD. Nonetheless, there’s no doubt some people experience lower moods through the winter months" In this article, Dr. Happy describes the signs and symptoms to look out for and provides the best strategies you can follow to help improve your mood. 

Financial stress - according to Money and Insurance Expert, Bessie Hassan from finder.com.au, “It’s never pleasant to feel the pressures that go hand-in-hand with financial strain. Thankfully though, there is a wide range of resources available to help us address our finances accordingly and prevent us from feeling overwhelmed.” In her latest article for HIF, Bessie offers her advice on how to manage these pressures effectively and highlights her top online tools to utilise.