Physical and Emotional Health

Loneliness

What is loneliness?

Loneliness does not necessarily mean being alone. For example, you can feel lonely when you are with many others in a class, at a party or at a sporting event. Loneliness is a painful awareness that you are not feeling connected to others. Loneliness is usually a combination of a state of mind (which you can change) and behaviours that compound the problem (which you can change).If you are lonely you may find yourself engaging in some of the following behaviors that can perpetuate the problem:

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Work…And Study Too

Many students combine part time employment with studying. Here are a few things to consider…

The Pros
And Cons
  • Additional income
  • A means of meeting people
  • Work experience
  • Development of generic work skills (eg. communication, teamwork, problem solving)
  • Job satisfaction
  • Increased self confidence
  • Structure and routine can assist study habits
  • An alternate interest
  • Time out from the intensity of study
  • Increased future employability
  • Limited time for private study, especially at peak study periods
  • Loss of interaction time with other students on campus
  • Difficulty managing work schedule and timetable
  • Less time on campus to consult with lecturers, tutors, advisers etc
  • Fatigue, especially with shift work
  • Prolonged periods without a holiday if working through non-teaching periods
  • Increased psychological stress
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The 10 Best Ever Anxiety Management Techniques

These techniques fall into three typical clusters:

  • the physical arousal that constitutes the terror of panic
  • the ‘wired’ feelings of tension that correlated with being ‘stressed out’
  • the mental anguish of rumination – a brain that wont stop thinking distressing thoughts
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Tips To Stay Mentally And Emotionally Healthy While You Study

The following tips are some ideas that we have found to be important to maintain and improve your mental and emotional health. There are five main areas to look at – Social, Physical, Cognitive, Emotional and Motivation.

Social Strategies

We know that people who are connected to others tend to have better mental health so:

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Sleep Hints for People Having Difficulty Getting to Sleep/Staying Asleep
  • Don’t nap or sleep in
  • Keep bed times consistent
  • Develop a ‘sleep preparation’ routine
  • Get up after 30 minutes if not sleeping
  • Be ready to go straight to bed when feeling sleepy
  • Avoid alcohol, tobacco and caffeine before bed
  • Do exercise (but only up to 3 hours before bed)
  • Avoid mental/emotional stimulation before bed
  • Have a comfortable bed and environment
  • Have a dark room
  • Don’t use bed for thinking or worrying
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Problem Gambling

The information on this brochure is provided by Gambling Care Services, which is a part of Lifeline in the ACT.

What is Problem Gambling?

Gambling has been a part of Australian culture for a long time, in fact some people argue that colonising Australia was a huge gamble in itself. Statistics on gambling in Australia show that since the 1972/73 financial year gambling expenditure (player losses) has risen from $2.7b to over $15.5b in 2004/2005. So, gambling is a normal and accepted part of our culture. Yet, those people who are experiencing problems due to gambling often feel rejected, misunderstood and isolated because there is little knowledge in our community about the potential dangers of gambling.

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Mindfulness

Mindfulness is borrowed from the traditional meditation practice but not in the sense that we may expect. This technique is useful to help in learning to tolerate strong feelings. The idea is not to control thoughts or feelings, but accept that they are part of experience.

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Managing Moods

Moodiness

Remember, all people go through periods of ‘moodiness’ from time to time. This might mean you feel irritable, frustrated, gloomy or sad. You might not feel low all the time, but fluctuate between low and regular moods for no obvious reason. You may find yourself ‘snapping’ at someone you care about.

While moodiness or being moody may be unpleasant for you and those around you it should not cause you long-term troubles. If you start to notice that you are feeling very low, unmotivated, and lacking interest in the things you usually enjoy for long periods of time it may be possible that you have depression. If this is the case, seek help from your GP or the counselling centre.

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Feeling Blue? Recognising Depression and Knowing how to get Help

What is Depression?

The word “depression” is often used to describe normal feelings of sadness. Feeling sad, blue or down is something we all experience at different times in our lives. However, if these feelings persist for an extended period of time (i.e. more than two weeks), then it is classed as depression.

Depression is NOT a sign of personal weakness or failure. Depression is NOT the normal grief we experience when we lose a loved one or experience a similar life event. Nor is it the normal sadness we feel when we experience everyday life stress.

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While you’re waiting…

We are sorry if we can not give you an immediate appointment.

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