Stay Well Be Well

17/12/2025

Thankyou to the Buddhism FB Page

11/12/2025

07/12/2025

Christmas is a wonderful time of year to catch up with family and friends, enjoy some Christmas functions, eat delicious food and for many having some time off. On the other hand
Christmas can also be a very demanding time, and if our resources to cope with those demands are out of balance with expectations then Christmas time can be very stressful.

-With many people in our community experiencing financial hardship due to an increasing cost of living and a housing crisis, hosting Christmas might be financially stressful.

-Running around attending events, shopping and organising for Christmas can leave you time poor and tired.

-Many families experience tension and may only come together for Christmas and important family events. Spending time together can be emotionally stressful.

-Some people may not have family to spend Christmas with and find this time of year lonely. Some people have just divorced or have lost a loved one. Or are remembering happier Christmas times past.

-Some may find themselves reflecting on another year past and whether goals or achievements have been met.

If you are experiencing any of these try these simple steps.

1)Take stock of the situation-what is it that is bothering you or you are finding challenging
2)What emotions are you experiencing about this issue
3)Where in the body are you feeling it
4)Just observe the feeling without judgement
5)Decide if there is a way forward through this challenge
6)Is there anything that can be done or changed or not done that would make things easier
7)Break that solution down into steps
8)Write down the next step to take (important - do not write down any other steps until the first one is completed)
9)Complete the step
10)Reflect on what you have achieved and write the next step

Keep repeating 9 and 10 until you have achieved your goal

Remember that the spirit of Christmas is about sharing, giving, peace and love.

Wishing you a peaceful and loving Christmas.

06/12/2025

Stress and Big Emotions
Stress is the name we give to challenges that impact our internal stability or balance ( homeostasis) which triggers the nervous and endocrine system to restore our inner stability. This response to stress is crucial for human survival ( fight flight freeze response), but if this state goes on for a long time, then these systems become overwhelmed and can cause dysregulation (having trouble managing emotions) and health problems).When there is too much stress then we can feel hyperaroused (anxious, panicked or angry ) or hypoaroused (numb, disconnected or shutdown).
These responses can be influenced by:
early childhood experience of trauma,
hunger tiredness or pain,
how resilient or skilled we are at dealing with stressors

It is important to understand that reacting to stressors occurs more quickly that we can consciously control, and people often feel ashamed of their reactions, which in turn creates more stress.
Example:
You’re getting ready for work and the TV is blaring, children are not listening when you ask them to get ready, you all get in the car to leave planning to get breakfast on the way and the car battery is flat, you go to call the RACQ and there is no charge because the children have been watching videos on it. Everyone is hungry and wants to know when breakfast is. You can feel the tension rising inside and you might have yelled for everyone to be quiet. Sad little faces immediately leave you feeling like the worst parent in the world. Sound familiar?
Every day parents, workers, students, teachers, emergency service workers, health workers etc are experiencing high levels of stress, and if they have other issues going on their lives the stress compounds, and can lead to anxiety, panic and anger or numbness, disconnection and shutdown.

Common causes of stress: job loss, workplace bullying, retirement;
lack of financial resources;
grief and loss;
marriage or divorce;
poor health;
moving house;
family problems

Managing stress is an important part of life and though no-one can remove all stress from their lives, it is possible to put in place healthy habits that can lessen the likelihood of stressful life events becoming overwhelming. Diet, exercise, journalling, meditation and mindfulness, goal setting, time in nature, pets and hobbies can all help us retain our equilibrium and regulate our emotions. A balanced life doesn't sound glamorous but what it lacks in glamour, it gains in serenity.

If the subjects here have raised awareness that stress is affecting your life you can get help by speaking to a GP, psychologist or social worker.

05/12/2025

Stress, what is it and is it affecting your life?
Stress is commonly experienced in workplaces, educational facilities, and within relationships or anywhere we may feel external pressure or fear we might fail. Stress can also be experienced internally when we judge or think about an external situation a certain way. For instance, I might have a racing heart and a worried mind because I am running late for a job interview, after I spilled coffee on my self and had to change, and the traffic is much heavier today than usual. Feeling stressed in this situation would be normal and we all can get stressed sometimes. Stress can even be helpful and motivating, but when the stress is unrelenting and lasts for weeks or even months, then it can result in illness either physically or mentally or both. Interestingly stress is a little bit like food. Having adequate healthy food and a treat now and then is good for us, but too much leads to being overweight and may contribute to acquiring illnesses like heart disease and diabetes. People may eat more to manage the emotional aspects of being overweight, and a cycle of emotional eating can occur leading to further weight gain.
Similarly chronic stress occurs when there is no time to recover between stressful events and can lead to a person developing mental illnesses like anxiety, and depression. In turn the effects of anxiety and depression on our lives is stressful, and can lead to a feedback loop where the elements of stress, anxiety and depression feed into each other resulting in feeling more stressed anxious and depressed.
Like overeating, prevention of stress is better than a cure. We know that adopting healthy habits like a nutritious diet, regular and effective exercise and getting enough sleep can help us maintain a healthy weight, but the good news is it can also reduce the effects of stress, and the risk of developing anxiety and depression. There are also many other ways to reduce stress such as music, meditation, yoga, and journalling to name a few.

If however stress is affecting your life adversely it is advisable to seek professional support.

Talk to your GP, or community health centre, or counsellor :

If you are feeling depressed or anxious about the stress
If you are stressed often
If you feel like you have no control over what is stressing you
If your reactions to the stress seems extreme

30/11/2025

This Week In Science (November 23 – 29) 🧪

We creep closer to a cure for type 1 diabetes, find a new branch of the tree of life, ponder being struck by a black hole, and much more!

Links to the full articles 📖
Diabetes https://buff.ly/585wdi5
Rock https://buff.ly/Ibikf3j
Vision https://buff.ly/aJtRh31
Life https://buff.ly/oblDdXA
Black hole https://buff.ly/ttQNuGN
Alzheimer's https://buff.ly/MjZAP4u

23/11/2025

Have you had an interaction with someone lately that has left you feeling upset? Follow these simple steps to feel more grounded. To begin with it's important to establish that we can only work on our own actions. Secondly the distressing aspect of the interaction is the emotions that were triggered off by it. Fourth, are you still experiencing those feelings now and if what are the emotions you felt after this interaction and where in the body did you feel it? Take a minute to be with those feelings and body experience, observe without judgement and let it go wherever it chooses. Last, remind yourself you are safe now and think back and ask yourself if there have been times when you may have acted in a similar way and choose to avoid these actions in the future.🙂 Have a lovely day

17/11/2025

Starting tasks is easy but completing tasks can be a little tricky. Completing a task, even a small one every day, will build a foundation for growth structurally, environmentally, mentally, physically and emotionally. Take for example making the bed. A few minutes in the morning and our bed is tidy the bedroom instantly appears neater, we now have somewhere to fold clothes or take a nap, and when we come home at night our bed is comfortable and inviting. All this from a few minutes spent in the morning and it might even burn a few calories and provide a stretch for our body too.