A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
In the midst of my worst moments of anxiety and panic, I would focus incessantly on the physical sensation and fear that it was something serious and harmful. But, as I learned over time from several experts, my attention was directed on the wrong thing. What if I could shift my focus to something else – [...]
Debunking the myths and sharing the important truths about this incredibly common mental health issue. Firstly, here's what anxiety is not: it's not worrying that your train has been cancelled or that your card won't be accepted in a restaurant. It's not being scared before a medical test. Anxiety is an inappropriate response to a real or perceived [...]
As much as teachers do all that they can to make their classrooms a place of comfort and security, for some students the school environment can be a stressful one. For a whole gamut of reasons, at some stage during their time spent at school, most kids experience some kind of school-related anxiety. Whether it [...]
Online learning environments have been a game changer for Australian distance educators whose ‘classrooms’ cover thousands of square kilometres, but it’s more than just a case of being able to reach isolated areas. The technology is also allowing teachers to provide one-to-one support and immediate feedback to students who are struggling with issues such as [...]
"A washing machine tummy”; “a volcano inside of me” – these are some of the ways young children can describe anxiety and other mental health issues, according to staff at YoungMinds, a mental health charity. In 2016, Childline reported a 15 per cent in suicidal calls, with children as young as 10. There has been a steep [...]
Working out what’s going on in the minds of younger Australians can be both confusing and frustrating. Are they happy, worried, feeling like they don’t belong, or all of the above? A new survey of 47,000 children across Australia, aged between 6 and 18, may give us a better sense of what makes them tick. [...]
Moms may be notorious worriers, but babies of anxious mothers may also spend more time focusing on threats in their environment, according to a team of researchers. In a study, researchers used eye-tracking technology to measure how long babies spent looking at happy, neutral and angry faces. They found that the babies with anxious moms [...]
In a WA-first, virtual reality goggles are helping children feel less anxious when they have blood tests and other painful procedures. The technology is being used as a pilot program at St John of God Health Care hospitals and takes children on an underwater adventure to distract them. St John of God Health Care group [...]
It’s perfectly normal for someone to feel anxious or depressed after receiving a diagnosis of a serious illness. But what if the reverse occurs and symptoms of anxiety or depression masquerade as an as-yet undiagnosed physical disorder? Or what if someone’s physical symptoms stem from a psychological problem? How long might it take before the [...]
With around half of the Australian population logging into Facebook on a daily basis (yes, that's 12.2 million of us), it's safe to say social media plays a large role in many of our everyday lives. Of course, while there are numerous benefits to social media use, what you get out of it corresponds rather [...]
