The tricky thing about staying on top of your mental health in a pandemic, and the aftershocks of one, is that it’s perfectly normal to find yourself in emotional states you’ve never been in before. “COVID and the lockdowns that come with that have taken away a lot of the usual ways we deal with stress,” says Dr Vine. “And it’s tough when you can’t have those normal life rituals.” She says that one of the most important things we can do right now for ourselves is to remember that many of us are having normal reactions to abnormal times.
“We are putting pressures on our families and ourselves, so when negative emotions come up, that does not mean you are losing the plot,” says Dr Vine.
Of course, the truth is that sometimes we do stop coping. A recent Australian Red Cross survey nationwide found that two in five Australians say their mental health has been negatively impacted, with a similar number feeling less hopeful about the future. This is perhaps just one of the reasons the federal government’s budget commitment to mental health came in at $2.3 billion. This may sound like a lot, until you hear that the Productivity Commission estimated that mental illness costs the broader Australian economy at least $200 billion each year in healthcare costs, lost productivity, economic participation, career costs, disability and premature death. It pays to keep well.
Here, Dr Vine walks us through how we can better understand our mental health needs, and not miss the signs that we – or those close to us – might need more support.
1. Take the pressure down
This story is from the December 2021 edition of The Australian Women's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 2021 edition of The Australian Women's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Where to go in 2024
Who doesn't love fantasising about their next trip? We've gone for lesser-known locations, and whether you're seeking bright lights, striking natural scenery, serenity or excitement, here's where you're sure to find it.
Money matters with Effie
Didn’t reach your financial goals in 2023? While a new year won’t wipe away pressures like rising costs, there are a few things you can do now to refresh your money mojo in 2024.
Bright stars in a rugged land
The hot, dusty opal fields around Lightning Ridge in outback NSW have traditionally been a man's world. Now The Weekly meets the women who have been struck by opal fever.
The gift of life
Maureen Elliott had just months to live when she went on St Vincent's Hospital's transplant list. Thirty years on she's one of the longest living heart-lung transplant recipients in the world.
An uncaged heart
After more than two years in Iranian jails, Kylie Moore-Gilbert has forged a new life that's brimming with love, and a determination to help others who have been wrongfully imprisoned.
The woman behind The King
As Sofia Coppola's biopic Priscilla readies to hit screens, we look back at the early life and great love of Priscilla Beaulieu Presley.
Say hello to the Cockatoo cake
When we put a call-out to our readers for their best children's cakes we were inundated with recipes, and this clever cockatoo was ahead of the flock.
The French revolution
Dawn French quit her sketch show because she felt so ugly. Now the \"roly-poly comedian\" wants us all to stop fretting about our faults. She talks body image, surviving the 1980s and owning her mistakes.
Trump's women
Will it be the jailhouse or the White House for Donald Trump this year? The women in his life could make all the difference.
Can you buy a good night's sleep?
Forty per cent of Australians have trouble sleeping, and the market has responded with a mind-boggling array of sleep aids. But do any of them actually work? The Weekly goes in search of slumber.