Minding Your Mind

In the old days we viewed the body and the mind as two very separate things. Not any more.  The Health Report  and  Coronacast  presenter Dr Norman Swan joins us to discuss how taking care of your physical health can also improve your mental health. We discuss, diet, exercise, alcohol, sleep, chronic pain and more. Dr Norman Swan’s new book is   So You Think You Know What’...

What progress have employers made in taking better care of the mental health of their people? Samantha Mostyn AO, a corporate and not-for-profit leader and one of Australia’s’ first mental health commissioners, joins us. In the age of COVID when work, employment and education have been disrupted, what more can be done by business, and the non-government sector to improve mental health. If you have...

This is the Astra Zeneca ep. It’s about how we calculate risk and make decisions. Is our assessment of risk governed by our rational mind, or by our emotions? Do we overestimate the risk of doing something (e.g. taking a vaccine) and underestimate the risk of not doing something (e.g. not taking a vaccine). When we face tiny risks like a 1 in a million chance, are the numbers so big we can’t compu...

Anxiety can be important and useful in helping us to be aware of, and react to, threats, study for exams and prepare for job interviews. But why does worry sometimes get out of control? When does anxiety become a mental health issue? And when it does, how do we get an over-anxious mind under control? If you have any questions or comments email Ian and James at  mindingyourmind2@gmail.com...

In ep 5 we discussed the importance of social connection, and whether modern psychology and wellbeing focusses too much on the individual and not enough on the group. In this ep Professor Jaky Troy, Director of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research, at USYD joins to us to explore how indigenous Australian culture takes more of a group orientated approach to mental health and wellbeing, an...

Modern psychology focusses mainly on what you, the individual, can do to improve your mental health, but are we missing something? Humans are social animals, so shouldn’t we also focus on what we can do to improve the collective mental health of the various groups we belong to – our family group, friend group, workplace and community.  How do we go about doing that? If you have any questions...

Ian and James discuss lockdown. Being in a Covid lockdown isn’t fun, but until enough of us get vaccinated, they are a fact of life. In lockdown you might feel bored, worried, stressed, uncertain about the future and financially anxious. And day two could be worse. What can you do to take care of your mental health during lockdown? If you have any questions or comments about depression, or other a...

Ian and James discuss body clocks. What are they? How do they work? And how can understanding our own body clock help you control anxiety and depression? If you have any questions or comments about depression, or other areas of mental health, email Ian and James at  mindingyourmind2@gmail.com  . Let them know any other topics you’d like them to cover. To find out more about depressi...

Ian and James discuss Early Intervention. What is it? How effective is early intervention in diagnosing and treating mental illness, especially in young people? What are the signs that a young person might have a mental health condition? If you have any questions or comments about depression, or other areas of mental health, email Ian and James at  mindingyourmind2@gmail.com  . Let...

In this episode, Ian and James discuss depression. What is it? How do you know you‘re depressed? Everyone feels sad sometimes, but what are the signs that you, or someone you know, might need some help? How do you treat depression? What works? And what doesn’t? If you have any questions or comments about depression, or other areas of mental health, email Ian and James at  mindi...