As Mental Health week comes this year, I think we are all much more aware of the ways that connection with other people, freedom to move and touch, and the predictable rhythms of life are part of wellbeing. The external threat of COVID-19, the internal threat it causes, and the loss of connection with loved ones have disrupted our lives … Read More
Celebrating Mental Health Week 2016 – A personal story
If you’re reading this you’ve probably been there – self doubt, lethargy, maybe full blown depression. I’m writing this to celebrate mental health week, and hopefully explain to people that it can happen to anyone. Five years ago I was a confident, optimistic person with a young family and dreams. My life took a downward turn with a failed … Read More
Let’s talk about feelings! – DON’Ts – by Arna Witkowski, Clinical Psychologist, Zest Infusion
It can be very hard to be someone who feels more strongly than others and to behave effectively when experiencing strong emotions. It can also be hard to have a child who feels more strongly than others. In “Let’s talk about feelings! Dos” I discussed things you can try when helping your children understand and manage their strong emotions. “Let’s … Read More
Let’s talk about feelings! – DOs – by Arna Witkowski, Clinical Psychologist, Zest Infusion
This is a guide to show you how to help your children and adolescents deal with their strong emotions. Unlike reading, writing and math, feelings are not something people generally expect to teach their children about. I imagine most of you will be able to work out some of the ways you learned about your own emotions when you were … Read More
Busting Myths with Seeking Psychological Help – By Shannon Moule, Clinical Psychologist Zest Infusion
If what you know about seeing a psychologist comes from TV (e.g., Fraser) or movies (e.g., Good Will Hunting), you may have some misguided conceptions about what goes on in a practicing psychologist’s office. I am here to bust these common myths one by one and actually give you the reality of what it is like to see a psychologist. … Read More
Fuel your mind – by Tania Logan, Dietitian, Zest Infusion
Healthy eating is the cornerstone of a healthy body and a healthy life, but food is so much more than fuel for your body. Nutrients from the food we eat are also essential to how our brain works, which means our food choices can also impact upon our mental health. People who experience mental health issues have lower intakes of … Read More
Oven baked salmon and vegetables – by Tania Logan, Dietitian, Zest Infusion
2 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes 2 zucchini, halved and thickly sliced 2 red or yellow capsicum, sliced into strips 250 g cherry tomatoes 1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed and halved 3 tbsp olive oil 4 salmon fillets Juice of ½ a lemon Cracked pepper 1. Place the sweet potato, zucchini, and capsicum in a … Read More
Mental Health Workout
There are lots of ways in which we can look after our mental health. In some ways good mental health is like a jigsaw – if we put the pieces together correctly we end up with a nice picture. Over the course of Mental Health Week the Zest Infusion team will look into some important pieces of this jigsaw that … Read More