Building a behaviour change course
Overview: OK, so I am a little excited about this one. We’re building a behaviour change course. Hopefully the post will help you make sense of […]
Random Gareth Pontifications
Wishing you a rejuvenating mid year break!
Overview: It is mid-year break time and I wish everyone a safe, happy, fun and rejuvenating break. A couple of simple suggestions in the post and […]
Sending good vibes to all students as exams approach
Overview: A quick note from the teams at HCDS and Oasis wishing all students a productive and successful end of Semester 1. Reading time ~ 1.5 […]
A simple journaling method I've been using
Overview: I like the idea of journaling, but I’ve never maintained a coherent practice. Until this year, when I developed a super simple method that I […]
We're back!
Greetings Flinders Community! I’m back, along with many of my Health/ Counselling/ Disability/ Oasis colleagues, ready to kick off the 2022 academic year. Those of […]
Happy holiday to everyone in the Flinders Community
Just a quick post to wish everyone in the Flinders Community a happy holiday season!! I’m mindful that people will be going into this holiday […]
Good luck with exams everyone, from the teams at HCD and Oasis
A quick note from me, on behalf of the teams at HCD and Oasis, to wish all students good luck and focus during the exam […]
The concept of 'psychological tools'
We all have available to us a range of psychological tools that can help us with specific domains of life. Psychological tools are prescribed ways […]
Which version of you is showing up in stressful moments?
In programs like Be Well Plan, Mindfulness for Academic Success and Studyology we teach students how to use mindfulness to improve wellbeing, improve academic performance […]
Dealing with uncertainty
I was recently asked to do a short-talk to psychology students on how to balance short-term performance and long-term goals. I try to approach each […]
Balancing acceptance and change ⚖
This post was written during a Shut Up and Study virtual meetup. Learn more. I sit in the wellbeing and mental health space. This means […]
Biology x history x circumstance x mindfulness
Some mental health pontifications for early on a Wednesday morning 😊 I’ve spoken previously about what I think constitutes mental health: feeling good, functioning well, […]
The importance of 'showing up'
There are some situations where showing up is a no-brainer. Like if you have an appointment or a job interview. Not showing up in those […]
Some brief reflections on art and wellbeing
One of the ways we can improve our wellbeing is to make modifications to the environments in which we live and work. I’ve talked previously […]
A few simple wellbeing lessons learned from taking a couple of weeks off
This is my first day back after a two week break. Yeah yeah, I know. Don’t rub it in. I didn’t do any writing whilst […]
I consider it a privilege to speak to students on the topic of wellbeing
When I started this role in 2017 I really only considered the written aspect of what I was doing. I envisioned working on websites and […]
10 pieces of advice for PhD students (which are probably ok for other stude...
I was fortunate the other day to spend 90 minutes with some relatively new PhD students talking about mental health. I must have enjoyed it […]
Life lessons I've taken from doing art
Art is a hobby of mine. I suck at it, but it is a hobby. As with most hobbies I’ve had in my life, I […]
Let’s talk about self-care
In the peer-reviewed literature the term ‘self-care’ is used to talk about how patients with chronic illness monitor and manage their condition, and the steps […]
Welcome students of 2021!
Just a quick shout out to all students starting or returning to Flinders for 2021. 🎆🥳🎇 Welcome!! On behalf of the Health, Counselling and Disability […]
My end of year message to students and staff
Howdy all 👋 This is my final week of work for 2020, so I’ll be bringing the Student Health and Wellbeing blog to a close […]
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
I just finished reading Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. 📚 Admittedly this is not the kind of book I would usually pick up and read […]
I gave up meditation (for now)
I’ve been meditating most days for the last year or so. Here are my stats to prove it. I have been using an app called […]
Sense of competence: a curious creature
A sense of competence (developing the knowledge, skills and abilities to act effectively on our environment) is considered by many psychologists as a core psychological […]