Psychologist with too many projects
Welcome to my blog/website! In truth I've written that a few times over my life. I've started and abandoned a number of blogs in my time. I'm probably not alone in that fact. Will this time be different? I don't know. All I know is that this time I have a clearer sense of the … Continue reading Welcome to the blog/website of Dr Gareth Furber
2023 has been, thus far, a good lesson for me in how you can get caught in vicious cycles. My mood overall has been low in 2023, especially compared to 2022. A combination of the normal challenges of life & work, reaching a reflective age, witnessing the challenges of others and grappling with existential issues. … Continue reading low mood –> bad habits –> poor health –> low mood
We're nearing the halfway point of the continuing professional development year, and my learning continues to be fragmented as I choose podcasts and papers based on what interests me at the time. From an engagement with learning perspective, this approach is fine as it maintains my sustained interest and curiosity. However, the main problem I … Continue reading Writing as mental problem solving
This is a minor re-write of a post I originally put on my work blog. I live in Australia. Last year I attended a work meeting in which Indigenous student support staff talked about how they went about their jobs. As part of talking about how to create culturally safe learning spaces, they provided an … Continue reading Writing an Acknowledgement of Country
This year I am learning the importance of having a plan B or maybe the ability to pivot to a plan B. Of course, I am learning this valuable lesson because I didn't have a plan B and my plan A turned to shit. Now that I am emerging out the other side, I thought … Continue reading The importance of having (being able to create) a plan B
I trained, as a psychologist, to assess/diagnose mental ill health and apply evidence-based treatments. The alleviation of suffering was the primary goal. Now in my work however, I operate more at the wellbeing, happiness, wellness end. I try to teach people strategies and techniques for bringing more positive experiences (e.g. gratitude, connection, awe, curiosity, self-acceptance, … Continue reading I didn’t spread COVID but I did spread wellbeing
Emotion regulation is at it sounds, the adjustment, control or balancing of our emotional state. There are many examples of what that might look like. If I am feeling sad, I might do something to lift my mood. If I am bit overexcited, I might look to calm myself a little. How we feel in … Continue reading Zooming out as an emotion regulation strategy
For the posts on my website I like to consider themes I encounter in my work life. A theme from this week was what to do with low moods. It popped up in a couple of trainings as an explicit question. I was asked directly what I do when I am in a low mood. … Continue reading What to do with a low mood?
Last year I listened to this podcast with meditation teacher Christina Feldman - https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/christina-feldman-500 I don't remember much of it, but a key concept stuck. Feldman spoke of setting life intentions and discussed one in particular - attending to and tackling the experience of feeling rushed. 2022 was a year where I committed to getting … Continue reading Trying to notice and respond differently to the sensation of being rushed
First posted on the Student Health and Wellbeing Blog (part of my day job) Since starting my role at Flinders in 2017, I have been trying to clarify my mission, that is, what is it I am working to achieve. At present it is about making available to everyone high quality, evidence-based knowledge, tools, skills … Continue reading Self-care = actions you take to improve your outcomes
This is a repost of a post I wrote for students on the Student Health and Wellbeing Blog. Since starting at Flinders in 2017 I've taken an interest in how people learn. Not so much what people learn (i.e. the content of their degree) but how they go about taking on that information and using … Continue reading Taking advantage of additional learning opportunities
Dr Gareth Furber 