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Times they are a changing – looking after yourself

We have seen more people coming to us at Eleanor Clinic with severe anxiety, insomnia, physical stress symptoms and worsening depression.

These are very stressful times that have forced an enormous amount of change upon us within weeks: working from home, home schooling, lack of access to regular exercise or other fitness classes and the feeling of isolation. That’s some package…

Whether you think you’re doing just fine, are having some adjustment difficulties or are experiencing significant distress: make sure you make time for self care. If you’re now thinking “I have no time for that” then maybe just think about who will look after your loved ones if you can no longer do it.

By looking after yourself you are also making sure you can be there when others need you, who may rely on you.

There is often not one simple solution to help with feelings of too much stress, emotional difficulties or frank despair. Different things will indeed be helpful to different people. Making an appointment to see your GP is often a good start to get help. We’ll listen to what’s going on in your life and together we can make a plan on how to get better or back on track.

This is a bit like finding a signpost in the fog: you still need to take the steps to get you there yourself, but having someone help with directions and being there with you makes life so much easier. Also: fog goes away after a while, even if it can be hard to see that at times.

Look after yourself!
And your team at Eleanor Clinic is here to support you.

https://coronavirus.beyondblue.org.au

For 24/7 domestic violence crisis support call Safe Steps on 1800 015 188. If you cannot safely call, email safesteps@safesteps.org.au and a support worker will reply ASAP.

For a specialist LGBTIQ family violence service contact W|Respect on 1800 542 847

For support for women who live in the Western suburbs, contact Women’s Health West on 9689 9588.

? International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) ?

Eleanor Clinic takes pride in fostering an inclusive environment where people can be themselves and feel welcome and safe.

We support and celebrates all parents, including LGBTIQ parents, whether you are a birth parent or a non-birth parent, foster parent or adoptive parent. We know that perinatal mental illness does not discriminate and that all expecting and new parents need (and deserve) support!

The current pandemic has made it even harder for many new parents to get the support they need. Becoming a parent is such a roller coaster of excitement and – let’s be frank – utter exhaustion.

We at Eleanor Clinic are here to support you! Doctors at Eleanor Clinic have a broad range of training and experience to help you through the post natal period. This includes help with feeding issues, crying babies and post natal depression and anxiety. We make extensive use of the great network of community services, perinatal psychologists and perinatal psychiatrists we have in the West. We all work together to support you through this journey.

The biggest step often is to realise that it is a sign of strength to ask for help. And from there things will get easier!

So, please: speak to us if you are struggling.
We are here to share the smiles and the tears!

For more information:
http://panda.org.au
https://www.pregnancybirthbaby.org.au/rainbow-families
https://www.tweddle.org.au
http://www.switchboard.org.au

#GPexpertadvice

 

All our doctors at Eleanor Clinic are specialist GPs with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. They also have additional training in specialty fields valued by the community, including:

  • Shared care (pregnancy care)
  • Paediatrics
  • Low carb nutritional medicine
  • Diabetes and chronic disease management
  • Sexual Health and Contraception
    • including Implanon and Mirena insertion
  • PrEP, Hiv prevention
  • Mental health
  • Travel health (Oh yes, we will be able to travel again some day! ?)

Maribyrnong Council Relief and Recovery Response Teams

We’ve updated our Covid-19 resource page but this resource is important enough to warrant a separate quick post.

Maribyrnong council has set up relief and recovery response teams that are available to support the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. These teams can provide information and advice about services that are available to those affected by COVID-19, including financial resources, food resources, and health resources. They can also coordinate service responses for individuals and families including emergency food hampers, and can assist with general and specialised service referrals. If you, your family or someone you know has been impacted by COVID-19 and is in need of support, please call our dedicated number on 9688 0434 from 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday.