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Mental Health

Our mental health is just as important as our physical health - it impacts every aspect of our life Whether you’d like to get a better understanding of a mental health condition, learn about self-care tips or even how to improve your social and emotional wellbeing, we’re here to help.

Articles 37 to 39 of 158

Hospital Cover

No one wants to go to hospital, but if the worst happens, having Hospital cover can make a stressful experience easier and more comfortable. You may be thinking, “But why do I need private health insurance when we can have the public health system, Medicare?” Well, there’s a number of reasons why private hospital insurance is a better option than relying solely on the public system – one of the most important one being that your policy allows you to choose your own hospital and treating doctor. Plus, you’ll typically have a much shorter wait time for any elective surgeries that you may need in the future.

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How to Stop Stressing About Your Finances

How to Stop Stressing About Your Finances

HIF Australia
By

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.

Category:Mental Health, Stress and Anxiety
How Your Pet Can Improve Your Mental Health

How Your Pet Can Improve Your Mental Health

Dr. Happy
By
We're pretty sure that every pet owner will tell you that their pets make their lives better, but did you know that owning a pet actually comes with heaps of health benefits as well? According to mental health professional, Dr. Happy, "Flourishing and thriving in life require having a sense of meaning and purpose, being reasonably healthy physically, feeling connected to others and having fun. On the other hand, a few of the more significant contributors to mental ill-health are being sick and tired, and feeling lonely and isolated. Interestingly, owning a pet can address all these issues in a positive way." In this article, Dr. Happy focuses on how having a pet can boost our happiness and wellbeing. 
Category:Mental Health
World Health Day focuses on Depression – what can YOU do to improve your mood?

World Health Day focuses on Depression – what can YOU do to improve your mood?

Dr. Happy
By
Did you know that today is World Health Day? This year the World Health Organisation have determined that the focus of this fantastic initiative will be on depression. According to mental health expert Dr. Happy, "Latest estimates state that more than 300 million people are currently living with depression, an increase of almost 20% since 2005. Due to factors such as stigma and lack of support, many of these people are quite simply not getting the help they need to live healthy and productive lives." With these alarming statistics, we caught up with Dr. Happy to get his advice on a simple, practical strategy that we can apply (or help someone you love to apply) improve our moods, our lives and our overall mental health.
Category:Mental Health, Depression
Exercise – Why It’s So Much More than “Physical” and How It’s Good for Your Mental Health

Exercise – Why It’s So Much More than “Physical” and How It’s Good for Your Mental Health

Dr. Happy
By

Did you know that exercise is one of the most commonly used and one of the most effective “stress busters” and antidepressants there is, as well as being one of the simplest, cheapest and most powerful happiness boosters! According to mental health professional, Dr. Happy, "Happy people tend to be healthier, they get sick less often and if they do get sick they recover more quickly; controlling for other variables happy people actually live longer! So, it’s generally not all that hard to convince people that exercise is good for them but given this, it’s disappointing when we look at the research and see how few people do it often enough." With this in mind, we chatted to Dr. Happy to get his top tips that will enhance your motivation and help you get moving and get happy.

Category:Mental Health, Fitness, Healthy Living
Mindful Parenting - How You Can Help Your Kids Thrive

Mindful Parenting - How You Can Help Your Kids Thrive

Dr. Happy
By

How can we help our kids thrive? According to Dr. Happy, "The answer is “non-judgemental observation”. That is, observing phenomena (like thoughts and feelings) with curiosity but without labelling as either good or bad. This type of mindful parenting gives us the opportunity to respond more calmly; more positively; with the best interests of all involved given more weight. It puts space between a particular action and a parents reaction, enabling us to feel more in control and to act in a more considered manner." So how do we put this into practice? Check out this article to read Dr. Happy's top five tips.

Category:Mental Health, Family First, Raising Children
Why Sleep is Vital for Your Mental Health, Happiness and Success

Why Sleep is Vital for Your Mental Health, Happiness and Success

Dr. Happy
By

Why are zzz’s so important for your overall health? According to Psychologist Dr. Happy, “The average Australian sleeps one hour less each night than what they need - this sort of sleep deprivation is a massive problem. Why? Well, lack of sleep doesn’t just lead to tiredness; it has also been found to be associated with impaired cognitive functioning (thinking), difficulty concentrating and remembering, poorer decision-making, moodiness and relationship problems, increased risk of cardiovascular problems and even weight gain." The good news, however, is that there are steps you can take to ensure you get good quality sleep that will improve your physical and mental health. In this article, Dr. Happy provides his top 10 tips to get a better nights sleep. 

Category:Mental Health
Dealing With Loneliness

Dealing With Loneliness

Dr. Happy
By

Loneliness - what exactly is it? According to Dr Happy, "It is one of the most significant contributors to poor health and disability. Unfortunately, it is on the rise and the remedy is not as simple as finding more friends or spending more time with others. In this article, Dr. Happy offers his advice on how to deal with loneliness and the importance of appreciating the loved ones in our lives. 

Category:Mental Health, Loneliness
The Healing Power of Hugs

The Healing Power of Hugs

Dr. Happy
By

Could a hug a day keep the doctor away? According to psychologist and mental health blogger, Dr. Happy, "Research has shown that hugs cause us to feel “warm and fuzzy” inside as well as more socially connected. Hugs, and physical contact more generally, improve the intimacy of our close relationships and they’re even beneficial for our social relationships too. They lower blood pressure and some studies suggest they might even alleviate fears and anxieties. Physical contact with a loved one has also been found to slow heart rates and reduce stress." In this article, Dr. Happy discusses the healing power of hugs. 

Category:Mental Health
Do New Year’s Resolutions Make You Anxious? Here’s What You Can do About it!

Do New Year’s Resolutions Make You Anxious? Here’s What You Can do About it!

Dr. Happy
By

It’s almost a new year and with it come the New Year’s resolutions. According to mental health expert Dr. Happy, "If you’re feeling anxious and stressed about your New Year’s Resolutions then something’s not quite right; and if something’s not quite right, you’re not as likely to be motivated to do what you need to do to achieve your goals.  Resolutions, which is really just another way of describing goals, should be exciting and stimulating; they should stretch you and motivate you to achieve and to be more. But they shouldn’t cause excessive amounts of stress or anxiety." We caught up with Dr. Happy to get his advice on how to set achievable goals which will help motivate and inspire you. 

Category:Mental Health
10 Things You Can do to Help a Friend With Anxiety Over Christmas

10 Things You Can do to Help a Friend With Anxiety Over Christmas

Dr. Happy
By

Do you have a friend or relative who suffers from anxiety? According to Mental Health Advisor Dr. Happy, "The Festive Season is, for many, a time of joy and happiness. But the Festive Season is also, for some, a stressful period during which unpleasant emotions such as depression, loneliness, stress and anxiety can become exaggerated and troublesome."  With this in mind, we caught up with Dr. Happy to get his top 10 tips for helping a friend with anxiety this Christmas. We hope you find them useful! 

Category:Mental Health, Stress and Anxiety
Is Your Child Stressed at School? 

Is Your Child Stressed at School? 

Dr. Happy
By

Negative emotions are normal aspects of life. In fact according to Dr. Happy, "We wouldn’t be human if we didn’t, sometimes, feel upset; including feeling anxious and stressed. In fact, stress and anxiety are human emotions; without which we probably would not have survived or evolved as a species. This is true for our children, just as it is for us as adults. So the question is - how do we determine when “normal” stress becomes “abnormal” and what can we do about it? In this article Dr. Happy offers his advice on the practical strategies we can implement if our children are excessively worrying or upset about school and/or its impact on their academic or social functioning. 

Category:Mental Health, Stress and Anxiety, School Age
How to Manage a Panic Attack

How to Manage a Panic Attack

Dr. Happy
By

Did you know up to 40% of Australians will experience a panic attack at some time in their life? According to our resident mental health blogger, Dr Happy, “Panic attacks are discrete episodes of intense anxiety and physiological arousal, to such an extent that sufferers feel they’re going to faint, go crazy or even die. There is, however, some good news; and that’s that despite panic attacks being very distressing and potentially very disabling, they’re also very treatable in the majority of cases. In this article, Tim discusses the key components of effective treatment and the powerful and effective anxiety management strategies we can do to manage panic ourselves.

Category:Mental Health, Stress and Anxiety
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