It is important to prioritise resilience due to its research-based evidence of physical and emotional benefits, wellbeing and performance outcomes. And we know that one of the best things about resilience is that it is not a set genetic trait – it is something that we can continually develop in life. Research shows that the […]
More than a buzz word, resilience is a key driver of our health and well-being. It’s not just my opinion due to my observations as a Psychologist over many years but backed up by research out of Harvard Medical School and many other centres that provide evidence base research in this area. The ability to […]
Change is an unavoidable part of life and sometimes this means dealing with difficult challenges, setbacks or extreme hardship. At the moment, many people are facing unwanted changes to their lives and livelihoods. Losing jobs, losing career opportunities and unplanned financial burdens are unfortunately commonplace. These changes can lead to a range of strong negative […]
A major buzz word that circulates many domains is resilience. It is one of the most popular topics for positive psychology and for good reason. Resilience, in a nutshell, is an individual’s ability to bounce back and adapt from setbacks and challenges they have faced in their life. The way we react to the mistakes […]
Positive relationships are integral to our mental health, physical health, and emotional wellbeing. A positive relationship is between any two people who share love, support, and encouragement both practically and emotionally. However, negative relationships can be more detrimental to our well being than solidarity. So how can we nip them in the bud when we […]
What is a stress silo? A stress silo is what many us put ourselves in when we are faced with those common life challenges. These can include deadlines at work, change, setbacks, or multi-tasking, just to name a few examples. It is when we disconnect from those around us, cut off our connections and go […]
Relationships, whether they are personal or work-related, are significant aspects of our lives. They can have both positive and harmful effects on our mental wellbeing and satisfaction with life. From the day we are born, we develop and form relationships with others. This is because we have an inherent desire to be social and form […]
How we approach our relationships can be a significant determining factor for a range of outcomes relating to personal and professional success. What are the three types of individuals in relationships? Giving in relationships can vary; an individual may approach giving in their professional life differently to giving with friends or family. Although research […]
Throughout our lives, there are moments where we may have felt we accurately predicted something would to happen to us. Whether that be you thought “I feel really confident going into this interview today” and you go in, nail it and get the job, or you thought “this workout is going to be painful” and […]
Why is making a comeback important? Making a comeback is an especially important area in light of all things COVID-19 and the recent events of 2020. Many carefully formulated plans or goals may not have come to fruition. This blog provides some practical tips on what making a comeback is all about when the chips […]
Icing the Game Earlier this month you would have read a great blog written by our team mate Kate Nelson on ‘how to avoid choking’. This blog is similar that we are talking about ‘how to ice the game,’ which follows on from the previous blog. However, this topic is slightly different as it looks […]
What is choking? Star basketballers missing a penalty shot in overtime. Well-rehearsed interviewees forget their words during job interviews. Performers sing off pitch or jumble their words on stage. People embarrass themselves on first dates, after practicing introducing themselves in the mirror over and over. Students forget their in-exam essay they have re-written a million […]
Why do we need to set boundaries? We all have our limits. Whether that be at home, at work or with friends, we all have that line which we draw in the sand and say, “yes, that is enough for me”. When our limits have been pushed, we can often feel frustrated and disregarded. An […]
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”― Lao Tzu We have probably all been given the advice to take it ‘One step at a time’. The great UCLA basketball coach John Wooden often questioned his players ‘If you don’t do it properly the first time, when will you have time to do […]
“Honesty is the best policy” A cliché Benjamin Franklin quote we have all heard more than once throughout our lifetime. However, Franklin also said “Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment”. The ‘wrong thing’ referred […]
What is a ‘Tribe?’ As humans we all are part of and operate in systems. We call them families, teams, groups, or more recently “tribes”. There are traditional models of these systems, and there are the individual definitions of these systems. Different personalities tend to gravitate more heavily to certain systems over others. For some, […]
Post COVID-19 life still seems a distant and luxurious concept…. However it will come and this thing has a full stop. The position we and our organisations find ourselves in will vary greatly. For some (most), it will be the down to the task of rebuilding. For others, it will be deciding if the new […]
When the going gets tough, the tough (resilient) get going – Joseph Kennedy While this is a nice sentiment expressed by Jo Kennedy, father of the US president John, it really only states the beginning of a leader’s journey. That is, when things go pear shaped, as they have with gone with COVID-19 for example. […]
‘Leader’ and ‘Manager’ are two of the most common terms used in business and beyond. Often the terms are used interchangeably. Sometimes there may be a positive connotation towards being a ‘leader’ and more negative connotations towards being a ‘manager’. When put head to head, there are distinctive differences. But is being a leader better […]
When you are a part of a team, the word ‘Leadership’ gets thrown around a lot. It signifies the act of taking charge and guiding the team in the best direction. Along with this, we also always hear about the qualities of a good leader. These include: Effective communication skills Enthusiasm Empowering Organised And the […]
It wouldn’t be a ground-breaking, earth shattering statement to say that COVID-19 is likely to impact many people’s mental health. It is impossible to the think that the change and uncertainty forced upon us wouldn’t cause a heightened level of mental and emotional strain in the community. But to date, what has been the impact […]
Featuring a chat with NRL Player Corey Waddell My name’s Kate – intern at Veretis by day, hobby trail-runner by evening. 3-months ago I decided to sign up for one of the biggest trail-running events in Australia –the Ultra Trail Australia half marathon. Every day I’d go out to train, I would think of the […]
Avoiding Making the Same Mistakes Humans are creatures of habit. Some of these habits are better than others and forming these good habits can be a tool for achieving success in life. However, negative habits formed can also make it difficult for us to make change. This is clearly seen in relationships, where people form […]
This is perhaps one of the most pertinent blogs I believe I have been involved in for some time. I would like to begin by saying thank you to the Prime Minister and the Chief Medical Officer for a very rational, fact laden and informative address to the press yesterday morning, Wednesday 18th March 2020, […]
Stepping back to understand our motivations & purpose The need for purpose and meaning behind our actions is one of the defining characteristics of human beings. We are in a healthier state of psychological well-being when we are pursuing tasks that are meaningful to us. We can also suffer quite serious psychological difficulties when we […]
What is Comparison? We have all heard of Teddy Roosevelt’s famous saying, “Comparison is the thief of joy”. In other words – when we compare ourselves to others, it can be detrimental to our mental health and cripple our happiness. Recent research has found that around 10% of our thinking daily revolves around comparing ourselves […]
Being Happy to do Things Vs Doing Things to be Happy ‘The Chicken and the Egg: Story of our mental health’ If I asked how you look after yourself when you feel the first signs of being run down, or a cold coming on, I would be pretty confident you could provide me a checklist […]
Why Non – Verbal Communication? Communication underpins the bulk of human interactions. In fact, it is a crucial, if not the most crucial element for humans being able to exist and bond together as social beings in families, communities and cultures. This in turn shapes the norms and acceptable behaviours for how we interact within […]
What Actually is ‘Assertiveness’? Assertiveness sits in the middle of being passive or aggressive. When correctly demonstrated, it is an invaluable tool that can be used in every area of your life. However, a majority of people struggle to achieve and maintain this balance of standing up for themselves and their values, without intimidating or […]
Communication is a key factor in a working team and our relationships with others. It is defined as when information has been transferred between people, through talking, writing or another medium. One of the major areas that communication affects is romantic relationships. A large amount of relationships end due to lack of, or incompatible communication […]
“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place” George Bernard Shaw As humans we often assume that ‘Because I spoke, the message was delivered. Because that message was delivered it was received, interpreted, and understood correctly by the person we were conversing with.’ Unfortunately, communicating is a little more complicated […]
Have you had the usual start to 2020 – resolutions made and goals set? And as the end of January fast approaches, how are you travelling? If there hasn’t been much progress, resist the temptation to ditch it all, and perhaps opt for the ‘refresh’ button instead. What does this involve? Be clear on the […]
Did you start the year with a new goal? Did you buy new runners? Did you set a time limit on a new project you wanted to complete, or a deadline to get a new job? But now, the weeks are passing into months and you haven’t really put anything in place. But stumbling at […]
A new year has begun, and we all want the best 2020 vision for the year ahead. As we start to get back into our regular routine whether that be at work, studying or training, you are probably thinking about the goals you have set for yourself and how you are going to maintain it. […]
Welcome back from the Veretis team! We hope everyone had a great holiday season and are settling back into work well. To kick the year off, our January Psych Up! topic is ‘Keeping the Momentum Going’. Following on from our December topic of goal setting and New Year resolutions, we will be exploring how to […]
So far this month, our blog posts have looked at setting new years resolutions and individual goals. However, it’s important to look at whether setting goals for your team is different. Setting team goals shouldn’t be a solo effort. Often, the manager or team leader formulates goals in isolation and tells the members what they […]
How can goal setting improve wellbeing? Everyone has heard how goal setting improves performance. But how many of us know the benefits that goal setting can have on our mental wellbeing? Not only do goals influence our actions, but they also influence the way we perceive the world and ourselves. Setting goals allows us to […]
Did you know an estimated 73% of Australians make New Years Resolutions every year? Can you guess how many keep them? 100%? 50%? …. 20%? Studies have found that less than 20% of people actually stick to their New Years Resolutions. The whole process has been broken down, analysed, psychoanalysed, improved and changed by millions […]
Thoughts are a part of life – there is no way to avoid them or escape them. But for something that is an innate part of your daily routine, how often do you stop to think about your thoughts? Things that have happened in the past, in the present, and in the future all affect […]
(The 80/20 Rule) In life, a majority of things are not evenly distributed. This can be socially, financially or even just talent that people are born with. In light of this, an Italian man called Vifredo Pareto noticed that 80% of the income in Italy was received by only 20% of the population. Thinking about […]
A lot of people engage performance psychology services looking for ‘keys’ to steely motivation. This is the type of drive and discipline that sees us leap out of bed at 4:30 in the morning rain, hail or shine, then charge off on a 15km run and be the first into the office and last to […]
Being our best doesn’t mean that we should have a smooth journey for our lives. Just because we set goals or expectations for ourselves doesn’t mean that the world will simply let us travel this path. At a time when competition is such a focus, we will face inevitable setbacks, drops in motivation and dark […]
How to Conserve Your Energy to Think Awesomely! Most of us realise we need to be efficient with the use of our energy every day. Unlike the energiser bunny, humans only have a set amount of things we can do before our batteries run out. We need to be careful to not waste this valuable […]
Each and every day we make thousands of decisions. Some are small and so routine that they roll in our subconscious state – drawing little to none of our attention. We are unaware of these decisions unless something “jerks” our attention to the situation: such as a road closure preventing us taking our standard route […]
This month’s theme for our blog posts has been ‘Logical Thinking in an Emotional World.’ So far, you’ve learned the difference between the left and right side of the brain, and how to stay rational, adaptable and solution focused in high pressure situations. Today’s blog post will be focusing on the tangible and real-world health […]
Why do I need to know? High pressure situations are a part of life – from giving work presentations to meeting your romantic partners’ parents and friends. These stressful situations can easily become overwhelming and make you feel out of your depth, leading to under performance. One of life’s biggest challenges is learning how to […]
Logic, Emotions & How to Look After Your Brain Sides of the Brain A favourite topic of psychology is the role of left and right side of our brain in everyday functioning . The right side of the brain is ‘creative’ and home to emotions, intuition, creativity, art and music. On the other hand, the […]
In business, one thing will always prevail: a great culture. From the CEO of the company right through to your team member in accounting, workplace culture has a massive influence on the success of a business. This also affects how adaptable employees are to change, stress, and hardship. There’s a big difference between performance based […]
With Q1 at its end and the holiday season fast approaching, it is important to remember we are coping with busy schedules and explore how to focus when we have to juggle multiple issues. One of our favourite sayings to remember is: “The same boiling water that softens the potato hardens the egg” This means […]
It can seem like there are a million different sayings that try to sum up the ingredients of an effective team – from “teamwork makes the dream work” to “there’s no ‘I’ in team!” – and these are just the tip of the iceberg. Although these sayings are very cliché, there is a kernel of […]
Australia seems to be behind the game on helping support the industry of sport and performance psychology.
This is having a major impact not just on the sporting field, but in innovation, leadership and business. […]
