Living life in 2021 is enough to make anyone feel out of sorts.
Between the pandemic, last year's civil unrest, political battles, protests and the discussion surrounding silent victims of depression (see: the Royals interview), it’s not a huge surprise that many people’s mental health has taken a whack.
"There’s been a lot out there in the media these past few weeks about mental health, and mental struggles, and let's face it - not all of it’s been positive," said medical doctor and psychiatry resident Dr Kieran Kennedy.
"The royal interview is a clear cut example of a woman stepping into her story and bravely outing the mental struggles she’s gone through.
"As a mental health professional, this struck me as a really powerful and incredibly important moment, however the reaction to that from some has shown we’ve still got a long way to go when it comes to acceptance and awareness for mental health."
The fact is that almost half of all Australians will experience some form of mental illness in their lives - which is a pretty sobering thought. But for something so normal and expected, a lot of people still feel shame in seeking professional help.
And while it's easy to downplay your feelings and pass them off as a 'bad week' or a 'bad month', waiting to see if things will just get better on their own often only makes things... *checks notes*... a thousand times worse.
Watch: Here are 5 lifestyle hacks to help with your anxiety. Post continues below.
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For example:
Comfort eating and drinking impair mood and contribute to other risk factors like poor sleep.
Poor work-life balance might have become a bigger issue for people working from home especially if they are also physically and/or emotionally caring for vulnerable people and/or home-schooling.
Social isolation and reduced opportunities to engage in past-times.
Messages from politicians and other leaders might feel like an attack on your self-worth.
Financial stress.