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6.5: Resources

David Featherston

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 researchEmotional and physical well-being

  • A Healthy and Active Australia
    This is an Australian Government website which provides guidelines for weight, exercise and nutrition.
    http://www.healthyactive.gov.au/
  • National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
    The NHMRC is Australia's peak body for supporting health and medical research, for developing health advice for the Australian community, health professionals and governments and for providing advice on ethical behaviour in health care and in the conduct of health and medical research.
    http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/index.htm
  • Quit Now
    This is an Australian Government website to support individuals in their attempts to stop smoking.
    http://www.quitnow.info.au/
  • Expressive Writing
    The attached document provides evidence that physical and psychological health can be improved through writing about traumatic, stressful and emotional events. This study asks participants to write for 15–20 minutes on three to five occasions and found that these participants have significantly enhanced physical and psychological outcomes.(1) Expressive Writing.pdf

reflectReflective exercise

The purpose of this task is to reflect on your current resources and determine what else you may require to support improvements in your self-care and those of your patients.

Do you know about current guidelines for diet and physical activity? Can you use these to determine if you are working within these guidelines? Have you ever suggested these guidelines for your patients?

Can you adopt a regular self-care practice as part of your routine, such as exercise? Identify how this will fit into your routine.

Do you have the resources (emotional, intellectual, skills, health, time, financial) required to make improvements to your current routine?

Do you need to learn or re-learn any skills?

To enhance your personal life, do you want to learn a new skill or take up a hobby (such as improving your swimming or dancing, keeping a journal, writing short stories, walking, learning tai chi or learning to sing)?

Are you overwhelmed with work and possibly lacking some skills in the workplace? A self-learning project on time management could be of assistance for example. (This could also earn additional CME points).

There are interesting health benefits in keeping a journal and reflecting on what you learn as you go. You are encouraged to ‘have a go’ at the sort of activities you advise for your patients.

  ReferencesReferences

  1. Baikie K, Wilhelm K. Opening up emotional and physical health benefits of expressive writing. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment 2005;11:338–346.
Continue to Module 6.6: Goal Setting

Project support

ImageProject support

This RANZCP Chronic Condition Self-management project is supported by funding from the Australian Better Health Initiative: A joint Australian, State and Territory government initiative.

RANZCP

ImageAbout RANZCP

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) is the principal organisation representing the medical specialty of psychiatry in Australia and New Zealand.

The College is responsible for training, examining and awarding the Fellowship of the College qualification to medical practitioners.