'I can't stop hoarding food'
Kyle MacDonald is a psychotherapist and mental-health advocate and will answer your lockdown questions including:
I've been hoarding food. Don't hate me. I go to the supermarket with the best intentions to just top up on fresh food, but I can't seem to stop myself buying more things for the cupboard and freezer. I can't really afford this, but I can't seem to stop
And
I've been having panic attacks, and some quite out-there catastrophic thinking. What can I do to get control of this?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12330090
What to do about bubble-breakers
Kyle MacDonald is a psychotherapist and mental-health advocate and will answer your lockdown questions including:
If a person asks you nastily "step back" as a coronavirus reference, how should one respond? In this case it was meant more as social attack than health precaution. I was standing away and felt hurt and upset at the actions of the person I am unfortunately forced to deal with from time to time
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The lockdown gave me time to stop and think. Now I feel there are parts of my life that need to change. Some of these changes are quite big. But this has been an unusual time, to say the least. Is this the right time to be making big decisions in my life?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12330006
Coronavirus worries: 'I don't want to see people anymore'
Kyle MacDonald is a psychotherapist and mental-health advocate and will answer your lockdown questions including:
So, here we are at level 3. I thought level 4 - where the only person I talked to "in person" was the supermarket checkout operator - would be hard, and it was. At first. Now I can see other people through the bubble extension thingee. Except I have no desire to do so. I feel neither happy nor sad about not seeing people anymore. Why do I feel nothing? Should I force myself to see people again? Or wait until I want to?
And
How much sunlight does my mental health really need? And is there an impact on my mental health of only seeing what is familiar?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12329101
How do I tell someone I don't want them in my bubble?
Kyle MacDonald is a psychotherapist and mental-health advocate and will answer your lockdown questions including:
I know I should be happy about our progress in going to level 3. It's really good news! So why don't I feel happy?
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Our neighbour wants to expand their bubble with us as their children are struggling with isolation. But the children talk through the fence and they do FaceTime with them. We aren't keen to expand our bubble as our children can get a viral-induced wheeze. They don't have family here, what do I say and how else can we help them without expanding our bubble?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=12...
Covid 19: Psychotherapist Kyle MacDonald answers your questions
Kyle MacDonald is a psychotherapist and mental-health advocate and will answer your lockdown questions including:
How can I best support my wife, an essential worker. She's a nurse and will probably end up being re-directed to Covid-19 related work?
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I hope to expand my bubble at level 3. But I'm nervous my friends will be afraid to hug. I miss being close to people and feel very low some days. Please help me
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12327132
Accept what you can't control, live in moment
Kyle MacDonald is a psychotherapist and mental-health advocate and will answer your lockdown questions including:
What are some practical examples of being kind to ourselves during lockdown, adults and teenagers?
And
What's your view on sleeping pills?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=12...
Kyle MacDonald: Contemplating life after lockdown spawns new worries
Kyle MacDonald is a psychotherapist and mental-health advocate and will answer your lockdown questions including:
How can I get my toddler to sleep when as parents we're so stressed ourselves from juggling work at home and childcare fulltime?
And
Do I actually need to shower and brush my hair while working from home if I'm okay with not doing that? Nobody is going to see me anyway.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12325771
I'm feeling exhausted in lockdown: Is this normal?
Kyle MacDonald is a psychotherapist and mental-health advocate and will answer your lockdown questions including:
What if I don't want to use the video function of a digital workspace meeting? My home is private, and I don't want all my colleagues to see how I live
And
How do I resist the temptation to reach for the bottle?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=12...
Locked-down 21yo is using app to play sharemarket - fun or danger?
Kyle MacDonald is a psychotherapist and mental-health advocate and will answer your questions including:
My 21-year-old son and his girlfriend are spending a lot of time "playing the stock market" with a small amount of money via the Sharsies app. How can you have a conversation re behaviours that may start off as harmless time-wasting but could turn into addictive/destructive behaviours?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12323784
Kyle McDonald: Why we need to talk about a 'shovel ready' mental health response
When the Canterbury area was devastated by the massive earthquakes of 2010 and 2011, we knew there would be a significant mental health impact. At first the impact was obvious: people were stressed, dealing with grief, loss and dislocation.
Help was dispatched, and a crisis response mobilised. However those of us who had worked with trauma and anxiety for many years knew we were not even at the beginning of the emotional fallout, and predicted that the real spike would be as late as three years later. As life returned to normal and people moved out of crisis mode only then would anxiety really peak.
