Mental Health
These patients have been given a prescription for nature, rather than pills
A number of Kiwis are opting for fresh air and exercise instead of depending on traditional Western medicine.
A green prescription is an instruction from a health…
Joan was tortured for being gay, and she’s not alone
For 12 years, Joan was forcibly subjected to electroconvulsive therapy.
Lontalius and the rise of sad boi music
If there’s any year to be okay with being sad, it probably should be 2020.
There is something to…
Horses understood this teen with Aspergers when people couldn't
Alex shares the immense isolation of living with Asperger’s.
10 mental health tips for the return to lockdown
As mental health advocate Claudia Ibbotson states at the beginning of this video, existing in times of uncertainty is hard. During our second round of lockdown,…
Cyberbullying is illegal in NZ yet nearly one third of teens experience it
Online bullying is so common that it can be embarrassing to actually talk about it. But so many people’s lives are shaped, and even ruined, by…
Lockdown is over but agoraphobia means I'm still locked inside
Katie Meadows writes about the pain of seeing others go outside while she is still locked in.
Racism and Islamophobia are a mental health issue
We’ve finally started to talk about mental health in New Zealand. But many discussions don’t include the experiences of people of colour. We need to talk…
People with obsessive compulsive disorder say lockdown allowed their condition to thrive.
Sam is a typical 23-year-old who works nine to five in an office job. At 14, he was diagnosed with contamination obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and has…
For former refugees, trauma doesn’t stay in the past
Bilal Nasier fled the Afghan Civil War with his family aged four, travelling for three months to come to Aotearoa. He now dedicates his life to…
Black New Zealanders on how hip hop finally gave them a place to belong
“When I was growing up in primary school, they weren’t used to the African face or the African features. The only people I saw who looked…
A Muslim journalist on the mental health impact of reporting on Islamophobia
"So much of our story, I think, has been told for us.”
Some people with social anxiety are dreading life after lockdown
Lockdown has provided relief to people with social anxiety. The ban on socialising outside of our bubble means some no longer need to force themselves to…
A therapist tells us how to take our good lockdown habits into the future
They say it takes 30 days to make a habit, and during lockdown we’ve all developed new behaviours - some good, some bad. Now we’re free,…
Some Kiwis love being in lockdown
We asked New Zealanders how they are coping with lockdown and if they can bear it being extended.
On Monday April 20 New Zealanders will find out…
New music release: Paige colours her wairua yellow
Imagine the aura or the energy that you’re giving off right now. If that aura had a colour, what would it be?
Auckland singer-songwriter Paige has released…
Here's a list of books to help you escape from this Covid-19 nightmare
We all have a lot of time on our hands now that we’re in lockdown. Some of you might want to read dystopian fiction or watch…
Fact or Fiction: Coronavirus
Dr Angela Lim tells us what's fact and what's fiction when it comes to Covid-19.
The three main symptoms of Covid-19 are:
a fever (at least 38°C)
a cough
shortness…
Work From Home Bingo
Lots of us are working from home now, which means... video conferencing!
Those who've dipped their toes into video conferencing before our present WFH times will know…
5 ways to keep your social life going from a distance
The Ministry of Health’s Director General Dr Ashley Bloomfield said he’s no longer using the term “social distancing” and instead using “physical distancing”. That’s because in…
These 'insecurity guards' look out for your emotional safety
The Insecurity Guards patrol music festivals to look after your emotional safety. See them at work at Splore.
We need to talk about grief
How does grief manifest for these men? Actors from the play Over My Dead Body: LITTLE BLACK BITCH share their experiences with grief.
Over My Dead Body:…
These apps are democratising mental health care
University can be a lonely place. For many students, going from high school to university is a big adjustment that can take a toll on our…
What's with our love of homemade?
Sauerkraut and bread are some of the things that more and more people seem to be spending time to make themselves nowadays. Are they just fads,…
Top tips for talking to a friend with mental health challenges
We asked Dr Angela Lim, CEO of mental health app Clearhead, to share some tips on how to talk to a friend or family member who’s…
Surfing for mental health
When Restoke founder Hayden Thorpe gets on a surfboard, he feels alive. He wants to help others capture that feeling as well, and maybe alleviate their…
The mental health gym
We go to gyms for our physical health, but what about our mental health? CoLiberate is a mental health gym for emotional workouts - exercises that…
Impact of exams on students' mental health
What mental health services are available to uni students and how accessible are they, really? Students from Victoria Uni talk about their struggles to get adequate…
Let's Talk About Stress
Exam season woes, family troubles and witnessing childbirths are some common triggers for stress among young NZers (okay, maybe that last one is not so common).…
Body Shaming
The human body is a contested space. There are standards and categories and expectations that govern how a body should look and act. In this video,…