News

Tweet

This week (16-22nd of November) is Transgender Awareness Week in Aotearoa: a week to celebrate transgender people and  raise awareness to the issues faced by transgender (trans) people nationwide.

So why do we need to raise awareness?

Tweet

Today is Pink Shirt Day in Aotearoa – a day celebrated internationally with the aim of raising awareness about the impact of bullying.

Bullying is not just something that occurs in schools and with young people, but also happens across all sectors, age groups, and forums.  Bullying has increasingly been reported in the media and it seems that we are regularly faced with reports about bullying being a triggering factor leading to poor mental health.  As we are more connected to each other than ever before (and potentially more disconnected but that is a topic for another blog), as it becomes the norm to hide behind our keyboards and revel in the distance created by a screen, and as we are encouraged to no longer be “polite, compliant” people but rather be honest and authentic, it creates an environment where people can be less thoughtful in their communication and potentially less concerned about the impact of their words on others.

Tweet

Recently, increased focus has been placed on the role of mental health in the workplace; recognising both the impact of the burden of mental health on the individual and the organisation and the subsequent stress that workplaces place on their employees.  Within New Zealand, the Health and Safety at Work Act (2015) places responsibility on the employer to protect the health (including mental health) of employees.  However, many organisations believe that such programmes are expensive and that the cost of workplace wellbeing programmes outweighs the benefits.

Tweet

‘A story of two friends that gives an extraordinary perspective on what we can do about suicide’

Tweet

Workplaces are an ideal opportunity to address mental health issues and suicide related behaviours with the majority of individuals who die by suicide likely to be in the workforce.  In NZ over a 5-year period, the majority of men in the 25-65-year-old
age group who died by suicide were in the workforce making this an opportunity for intervention

Tweet

We are naturally social creatures and biologically wired to socially connect with others. Nobody likes being lonely….even those who may struggle with socially connecting with others. We know that there are mental and physical health consequences of feeling lonely like poor sleep, low mood, low self-esteem, higher stress levels, as well as negatively affecting our immune and cardiovascular systems [1, 2]. The consequences can be different for everybody, and some people may not appear as negatively affected by their level of connectedness (we all have different needs and expectations).

Tweet

The Mental Health Foundation have launched a new resource ‘After a suicide’ for family, whanau and friends to assist yourself or others through the aftermath of a suicide of a loved one.

Tweet

Mental health awareness week is coming up in October (9th-15th) and this year’s theme is “Nature is Key – Unlock your Wellbeing"

Tweet

They say change is as good as a holiday. While that may be true in some contexts, most of us know that when the changes happening are outside of our control ‘holiday’ is probably not the term we would choose! Many of us work in contexts where there is significant change occurring. An unwanted side-effect of organisational change can be workplace fatigue (commonly known as burnout) which can manifest in dissatisfaction or disenchantment in our work, emotional and physical health effects, or apathy.

Tweet

Suicide is a complex phenomenon therefore approaches to suicide prevention need to be able to address this complexity The World Health Organisation has identified suicide prevention as a global imperative. Effective suicide prevention requires a vision, a plan and a set of strategies which can be achieved through a national suicide prevention strategy.

Tweet

A self-soothe kit is a great tool that can provide relief in moments of distress. To make one, you put together a collection of items that each function to soothe the five senses (smell, hearing, taste, touch, and sight) in some way. You can then turn to these items before, after, or during stressful events to help yourself calm down and feel better.

Tweet

Whilst social media can provide an opportunity for many young people to helpfully connect with others and access supports, there are some online behaviours and sites that aren’t as helpful. Such sites can include websites or social media that encourage self-harming, go into detail about ways and means to harm or kill yourself, act as a platform for bullying, or encourage unskilful risk taking behaviour. Given the risks imposed by such sites, it is important we are aware of these influences in our young people’s lives when checking with them about their supports or areas they feel stress them out.

Tweet

’13 Reasons Why’ is a series currently showing on Netflix in New Zealand (and worldwide).  The series is based on the book ‘Thirteen Reasons Why’ by Jay Asher and focusses on an adolescent whom suicides and the fallout from this.  The show features a series of tapes where the young person describes the events that she perceives have led her suicide including those people that she believes to have had roles in her decision.   These events include the spreading of rumours about her; relationship breakdowns and isolation; bullying; pressure in intimate relationships; sexual assault; and the perception of failure by the system for helping when help was sought (both by the young person and her mother). 

Tweet

If you’re feeling stressed out, or having trouble sleeping, check this out. It's a site that could improve your stress levels and your sleep...

It’s music that was created for a spa, as a collaboration involving scientists at a market research lab and the founder of the British Academy of Sound Therapy. Researchers reported that listening to it while doing stressful tasks was associated with a reduction of overall anxiety by 65% and physiological arousal by 35%.

Tweet

Apps are a great way to provide additional support for people going through a difficult time.  The Virtual Hope Box is a free app that can be really useful for anyone.