THE uncertainty of the past few years has left many feeling more stressed, more fatigued and less motivated.
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But Newcastle psychologist Michelle Heaton hopes offering evidence-based tips and tricks to improve mental health and well-being will help those still "languishing" find their spark again.
"Everybody, no matter who they are, has been affected by the pandemic in some way," she said. "The fact it has been going on for so long has turned what was a stressful situation into chronic stress for a large majority of the population.
"Chronic stress leads to all kinds of issues, one of them being that feeling of languishing - that we're just not quite ourselves, and I see that everywhere."
Ms Heaton said even people who did not lose their jobs or face major personal issues during the pandemic could still be grappling with the loss of control and the consistent uncertainty of the past few years.
"I, like everyone else, found myself languishing after a couple of years of living with the pandemic," she said. "But I felt the normal tools and strategies I'd used in the past to look after my mental health and stay resilient weren't quite cutting it.
"So I started adding things I hadn't personally been doing - even though I knew they worked... It made a big difference.
"I wanted to share that and some of the science, some of the stats, and I wanted to educate people about some things that they might find helpful to turn this sense of languishing around."
Ms Heaton is hosting a "Mental Health Reset" session at The Base Health in Hamilton at 6pm on Wednesday, August 10.
Chronic stress leads to all kinds of issues, one of them being that sense of feeling that we are languishing - that we're just not quite ourselves, and I see that everywhere.
- Michelle Heaton, Newcastle psychologist
"In 2020 they did a survey in Australia where 55 per cent of people said their mental health had been negatively affected by the pandemic," she said. "By 2021, that had jumped up to 65 per cent. Then when people were asked whether they had any signs of pandemic fatigue, that jumped to 80 per cent."
But she said the "saddest" statistic of all was that for people who were already trying to manage a mental health issue, that figure jumped to 95 per cent.
"Those stats are telling me we are not bouncing back," she said. "My concern is we are telling ourselves there is something wrong with us, but no, this is collective. There is a reason and it's going to take a bit of time to turn it around, but it is possible."
Ms Heaton hoped the session would not only give people some new mental health strategies, but teach them how to put that new knowledge into action.
"This is for the general public. 'We're all in this together' was a bit of a catchcry, but we've all been through the past few years, regardless of how it affected us," she said. "A lot of people are finding it hard to get in to see a psychologist currently.
"If you have never seen one before there are often wait lists. This could be helpful while waiting to get in."
Tickets for the Mental Health Reset cost $25 each and $15 for concessions via Humanitix.com.au, or $30 at the door.
"But if you really, really want to come and you are struggling financially, give The Base a call," she said.
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