Rob Moodie is professor of global health at the University of Melbourne's Nossal Institute. His book, Recipes for a Great Life, co-written with Gabriel Gate, comes out in March.
An op-ed piece by Moodie in The Age is timely, this New Year's Day:
"The Tyranny of Distance has been replaced by the Tyranny of the To-Do List. We seem to have too little time to cope with the demands of work, of looking after our families, going for a walk, working out, catching a film and reading the latest book. Life seems to spin faster and faster while we are constantly bombarded to buy more, have more, look slim and fit and stay young.
It is the new year and now is our chance. After we've got over the headaches and the apologies for doing things we can't remember, it is a time of regeneration, renewal, resolve and relaxing.
What do we want to get from our lives? Most of us want greater fulfilment, happiness, satisfaction, health and a sense of achievement. According to Richard Eckersley from the Australia 21 research group, wellbeing comes from a combination of good relationships, including marriage, rewarding work, leisure, enough money, a good diet, sound sleep and some form of spiritual practice or belief.
But the "To-Do" and the "To-Worry-About" lists get in our way - or we lose balance as the work part of our lives takes over. We can spend countless hours ruminating about what we need to do, about what we didn't do, living in the past or the future, but not in the present. We constantly react to the ups and downs of our daily lives or blame our woes on others. Or we worry about who we are, how we fit in and what others think of us.
Professor Bob Cummins, the brains behind the Australia Unity Wellbeing Index, says that most people are satisfied with their lives. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's 2006 report tells a slightly different story. It shows that 13% of us acknowledge high to very high levels of psychological distress (distress that has a major effect on our ability to work, study, and manage our day-to-day activities). Another 24% complain of moderate levels of psychological distress, with women reporting higher levels of distress than men. Very high psychological distress levels have risen from 2.2% in 1997 to 3.8% in 2004-05."
For what one might do to deal with all of this and that - and perhaps a better way of "dealing' with "things" in 2008 - read on, here, for Moodie's suggestions.
An op-ed piece by Moodie in The Age is timely, this New Year's Day:
"The Tyranny of Distance has been replaced by the Tyranny of the To-Do List. We seem to have too little time to cope with the demands of work, of looking after our families, going for a walk, working out, catching a film and reading the latest book. Life seems to spin faster and faster while we are constantly bombarded to buy more, have more, look slim and fit and stay young.
It is the new year and now is our chance. After we've got over the headaches and the apologies for doing things we can't remember, it is a time of regeneration, renewal, resolve and relaxing.
What do we want to get from our lives? Most of us want greater fulfilment, happiness, satisfaction, health and a sense of achievement. According to Richard Eckersley from the Australia 21 research group, wellbeing comes from a combination of good relationships, including marriage, rewarding work, leisure, enough money, a good diet, sound sleep and some form of spiritual practice or belief.
But the "To-Do" and the "To-Worry-About" lists get in our way - or we lose balance as the work part of our lives takes over. We can spend countless hours ruminating about what we need to do, about what we didn't do, living in the past or the future, but not in the present. We constantly react to the ups and downs of our daily lives or blame our woes on others. Or we worry about who we are, how we fit in and what others think of us.
Professor Bob Cummins, the brains behind the Australia Unity Wellbeing Index, says that most people are satisfied with their lives. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's 2006 report tells a slightly different story. It shows that 13% of us acknowledge high to very high levels of psychological distress (distress that has a major effect on our ability to work, study, and manage our day-to-day activities). Another 24% complain of moderate levels of psychological distress, with women reporting higher levels of distress than men. Very high psychological distress levels have risen from 2.2% in 1997 to 3.8% in 2004-05."
For what one might do to deal with all of this and that - and perhaps a better way of "dealing' with "things" in 2008 - read on, here, for Moodie's suggestions.
Comments