IN THE MEDIA

Staying upbeat is tricky when the future feels uncertain. But these mind hacks will give you the best chance of approaching life optimistically.

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“Staying optimistic during trying times has a lot to do with stopping the loop of catastrophic thinking,” clinical psychologist Dr Martine Prunty says.

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Ditch the earbuds

It’s easy to keep earbuds in your ears as a sort of audio autopilot, but you might find some mental relief by taking them out.

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“Simply breaking the habit of walking around with earphones stops the constant stimulation of being directly absorbed every second of the day,” says Prunty.

The four-year-old vaccinations can be more of a challenge than the routine needles children have when they are babies and toddlers. ....

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Psychologist Dr Martine Prunty agrees with this advice, in addition she suggests using books to help prepare children.

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 "Martine Prunty is a Clinical Psychologist who has treated people with anxiety disorders for 15 years. 

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"Germ-phobia is one of the most common forms of OCD," says Martine. "With every source of media telling us to wash our hands, avoid people and not touch surfaces, you can imagine how heightened this fear has become for people with OCD, and almost very validating."

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... Sometimes an attack of sibling rivalry can take you by surprise; children are generally excited about welcoming a new brother or sister.

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 However, once the new little person arrives, the reality of limited attention and greater expectations placed upon them can leave children feeling “confused and upset,” says clinical psychologist, Dr Martine Prunty.

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WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP THEM PREPARE...

Got kids? Thinking of doing some renovations? “Don’t do it” your friends and family might say and while they might have a point for many of us renovations are a necessary evil of home ownership.

Recently I did some renovations at home and while they weren’t major they meant we couldn’t use our bedrooms for a couple of weeks. While my husband and I had done renovations before, this time we had two little kids in tow and in hindsight there were definitely things we’d do differently.