When we first entered a period of lockdown in early 2020 and health services transitioned to using telehealth services, I think most of us imagined that telehealth was a temporary measure, necessary because of the extraordinary circumstances at the time. But now, 18 months on telehealth has become one of the main ways that many of us are still accessing our health care. For us in Melbourne, this has a lot to do with the extended periods of lockdown we have been experiencing. But even when we’re not having to socially distance ourselves, telehealth can sometimes be the provider’s and client’s preferred choice for an appointment; telehealth can mean you don’t have to take time off work, arrange childcare, miss long periods of school and you can see a specialist who is based a long way from home with ease. Even if you’re only having the occasional appointment via telehealth, it might be worth spending some time reviewing your setup to make sure that you’re getting the most out of your appointment. Here are our tips for getting the most out of your telehealth session.

Currently, almost all of us are on social media, and this is likely particularly true during lockdowns while we are home and away from loved ones and opportunities for in person connection. While social media can be a source of fun, information, and inspiration it can also have a significant impact on our wellbeing.

In our increasingly busy daily lives we can often struggle to set aside the time to practice being in the here and now, or in what we call Mindfulness. We often do things on autopilot or spend our time multitasking. For example, how often do you flick through your phone while you are watching TV? Do you ever get to work and don’t remember the drive in because you were swept away in your thoughts? Do you walk your family pet whilst on the phone to someone from work?

Sometimes life can feel like a crisis. A crisis can present in many different forms. It can present itself in the form of the death of a loved one, to losing a job, to losing a relationship, losing a friendship, losing money, or even just feeling like you’ve failed at something. When we are hit by a crisis, we can be hit by emotions so strongly, that sometimes we go numb. Our mind and body protect us from the emotional storm that is raging within. Sometimes, we’re not numb to this, we feel every bit of it, and it feels so strong that we feel like we need to lash out and hurt others, or we run away and hide. When this is happening we need to ask ourselves how a reaction is going to help us. Often a reaction, by either avoiding, hurting ourselves, or hurting others makes us feel guilty and ashamed, which does not help the situation. So when life gets overwhelming, what do we do? The following may help.…

It is not uncommon for there to be a waiting time between calling to book your first appointment with a mental health practitioner and your first appointment. But now because of COVID, wait times for psychologists are very long. This can leave you feeling like you’re in limbo and can be an anxious and uncertain time. If you’re reading this and you have an appointment that you’re waiting for, here are some ways that you can take care of yourself while you’re waiting.

There is no doubt that sleep is an essential component of our health and wellbeing routine. The evidence is very clear that getting good sleep contributes to better performance at work or when studying and better health overall. For this reason, when we’re not sleeping well, we can put a lot of pressure on ourselves to ‘fix’ the problem for fear of the ramifications. In our blog on sleep in July 2018 “How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep” Dr Jodie Thomas stepped us through several highly effective health behaviours to support good sleep and if you haven’t read it, it would be a great post to return to as it is rich in information. In this blog post we’re extending the conversation on sleep by exploring sleep and insomnia through the lens of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and the work of Dr Guy Meadows, sleep physiologist, author of “The Sleep Book” and co-founder of “The Sleep School”.