Stress

BLOG

  • Suicide and COVID19
    March 29, 2020
    1
    It was with extreme sadness today that I read about the death of German finance minister Thomas Schaefer in response to the extreme situation in which we find ourselves with the COVID19 pandemic. I don’t believe that this is the first suicide which has occurred as a result of these extreme stressors, nor do I believe that it will be the last. The financial anxiety and depression which results from country wide lockdowns, self-isolation and a sense of “being trapped” at home either alone or with family/ roommates is extreme and very often may lead to a feeling of complete […]
  • The Build up to Lockdown
    March 26, 2020
    0
    As we South African’s head towards the complete lockdown today I feel as though I have fallen into a parallel universe. Today had a completely surreal quality for me. I went to work as usual. I saw patients, both new and old… as usual. But everywhere I went I had this feeling of utter confusion! On one hand it felt to me like the day before Christmas. There were people out doing some last-minute shopping and getting “running repairs’ done on their hair and nails… almost like the final gift buying spree we usually see on Christmas Eve. On the […]
  • #COVID19 Mental Health
    March 22, 2020
    1
    I am currently sitting at home waiting for President Ramaphosa to update our nation around #COVID19 in South Africa. It has been a very weird week since the first announcement that we as a nation were going to be implementing measures commensurate with the Disaster Management Act. In the wake of that, it doesn’t take a Psychiatrist to diagnose anxiety in the population at large! The problem here is that we are not actually dealing with one global viral pandemic. We are dealing with two and if we don’t get a handle on them and quickly, we are shortly likely […]
  • Managing Depression: It’s a marathon not a sprint
    January 29, 2020
    1
    I recently started training for a half marathon. It is excruciating. Getting up early every morning, putting on my running gear and hitting the roads or the treadmill to pound away for kilometre after kilometre invariably leaves me (usually about halfway through) gasping for air, sweating profusely and wondering why on earth anyone would be stupid enough to do this to herself! Then, after my shower, on my way to work, when the endorphins kick in and I am feeling on top of the world I remember why it is that I do this to myself, and the following morning […]
  • Pre-Exam anxiety management workshop
    August 8, 2019
    0
    Exams can be a very stressful time and provoke a lot of anxiety. Come and attend one of my pre-exam anxiety management workshops and find out how to control your anxiety and make it work for you.

services-icon

About

LEARN MORE

appointments-icon

Appointments

MAKE AN APPOINTMENT

speaking-engagements-icon

Speaking Engagements

MAKE A BOOKING
March 19, 2019
Published by blogadmin at March 19, 2019
Categories

LOAD-SHEDDING: HOW IT IS MAKING US STRESSED AND DEPRESSED

The return of load-shedding last week has been met with an array of emotions ranging from disillusionment to outrage. Anxiety and depression seem to be the new norm in clinical practice but aside from the obvious socio-economic and political stresses surrounding load-shedding, there may be biological reasons behind why being in the dark is making everyone more stressed and depressed. How does being the dark make us more anxious? There are several reasons behind why I feel that load-shedding might make us unnaturally anxious and depressed. Here are a few: 1. The survival response: We have all experienced that feeling […]
Do you like it?2
Read more
February 8, 2019
Published by blogadmin at February 8, 2019
Categories

#Resilience: A personal perspective

  2019 is in full swing, schools are back, and businesses are in operation. The holidays are slowly fading from memory and most of the people whom I have interacted with are in various stages of achieving (or not) their New Year’s resolutions. They are also mostly experiencing extreme stress, anxiety and burnout out of proportion for this time of the year. (See my blog on: Energy Budget.) On 12th January 2019 I celebrated a milestone that I never thought I would achieve: 10 years completely cancer free after the removal of stage 4 Malignant Melanoma from my right lung. […]
Do you like it?0
Read more
January 23, 2019
Published by blogadmin at January 23, 2019
Categories

Energy Budget: How to manage stress and avoid burnout

A while ago, on my way home from lunch, I witnessed 3 armed men jumping out of a small vehicle in the traffic and trying to hold up some commuters at gun-point. Fortunately, they were unsuccessful in their attempt and the entire incident was over in a few seconds, but I found myself very rattled by this encounter. I resorted to eating an entire packet of fruit liquorice on my way home (which is something that I almost never do!) and for the rest of the week I felt tired but could not sleep well. A few other minor problems […]
Do you like it?0
Read more