The SANE Blog

‘Watch what you eat’ was the candid advice when first diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Five years later I had outgrown three dress sizes and weighed an extra 25-30 kilos!

In my case this weight gain was due to a combination of medication, comfort food, low self esteem, mood and the frequent labelling my emotions as ‘wrong’.

After a lot of soul searching and looking at my patterns – my ‘default setting’ – I identified three key areas that had a direct influence on my weight gain and the changes I needed to make.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a condition that can catch you off guard. You’re coping just fine and then — boom! Life becomes difficult. Out of nowhere.

That’s what happened to Ken Kemp, a veteran that served in the Australian Defence Force for 27 years, many of those on deployment.

What advice would a man give other men who are experiencing mental health issues? And how can family or friends support?

Five SANE Speakers share their tips. Advice for men, from men, who know what it's like to live with and manage a mental illness.

Whether you are living with a mental illness, or caring for someone who does, making the decision to actively engage in 'self-care' is important.

Self-care includes any intentional actions you can take towards caring for your own physical, mental and emotional health. These actions are often quite simple, and need not take up a lot of time, or cost a lot of money.

We are all different, so take time to reflect on what works for you.

How many times have you heard someone say that a lottery win would make them happy?

How many times have you thought this yourself?

Lottery winners have actually been the subject of research studies. What we know from this research is their happiness is only boosted for about six months. After that first rush of euphoric spending they return to their previous levels of happiness. So if they were unhappy before winning, they’re likely to be wealthier, but not happier, people.

Sleeping . . . it’s simple right? You get out of bed in the morning, stay active for around 16 hours, then go back to bed and fall asleep. Simple.

If a child has problems sleeping we tell them to count sheep, offer a glass of warm milk, or set their room to a mild temperature. These techniques can help to calm their mind and allow sleep to come more naturally.