Anxiety and Men. Men are often reluctant to seek counselling to talk about how they are feeling. On the past few weeks I have seen men with anxiety.

Men, who may be hesitant to seek help, may be open to looking at dietary and lifestyle changes rather than attending counselling or take medication.

Counselling for anxiety may not be needed because the symptoms resolve once lifestyle improvements are made.

There’s a lot of talk about ‘values’.

And I’ve never been able to connect with the term.

I would think, ‘What are my values?’

And nothing would come to mind. Nothing that would resonate anyway.

People say things like: ‘honesty!’ ‘integrity!’ ‘family!’

And I would think, yeah, of course, all these things.

But these come without saying, don’t they?

Social media has been designed to get to stay online for as long as possible.

Let’s think about what this means exactly.

Social media is designed to be addictive. It's also designed to fragment your attention. In children and adolescents, this is concerning and is associated with increased levels of ADHD.

The more time you spend staring at a screen, scrolling, watching, and listening - the more someone in the Meta world gets a green tick. And the more your precious time is taken away from anything and everything else you could be doing.

If you’re an occasional user and you watch a few funny videos and then put the phone away - this probably isn’t for you.

For those of us that get sucked into the vortex of social media, eliciting troubled emotions, distrust, a feeling of sadness, anger, frustration and a need to reply to ‘some idiot online’ - this is for you.

A few of you have contacted me about the importance of micronutrient products as part of your recovery from mental health conditions.

If you’ve not been made aware - there’s a little more information below to help you understand why this is an important issue for New Zealanders and mental health in general.

Last month, I released one of the most interesting discussions on the Sense of Hope Podcast. Dr Rachael Sumner, a researcher from the University of Auckland, and I discussed the use of psychedelic treatment for mental health disorders.

It’s an odd conundrum - when I first heard about psychedelics for mental health issues - I was not at all convinced. Are we simply going to have a whole lot of people walking around high? With their head in the clouds getting nothing done? Is it a form of escapism?

Then, as a strange twist in how the universe works - I ended up working as a research nurse at the University of Auckland in the same lab where the psychedelic research was being conducted. I helped with a few of the studies.

Are we missing the mark?

If you are in the mental health circles - you may have heard that this week is Mental Health Awareness Week in New Zealand.

As you well know - my work is completely dedicated to improving mental health in Aotearoa.

• What causes us to feel miserable or dysfunctional? (It’s not just about present circumstances - there are plenty of people who see me who have ‘nothing wrong’ with their lives)

• What helps people get better?

I was at a party the other night (very occasionally I go out!)

Someone said how they followed one of my reels about slicing cabbage up in bulk and using it over a few days, storing it in a plastic bag in the fridge. It makes for quick and easy lunches. And they did this.

‘Oh’. I said. ‘You watched that?’

‘And you did it?’

‘And it made a difference to your week?’

‘Yes’ - they replied - ‘I love your posts!’

Two days later I made a comment on a feed on social media. They replied ‘I love seeing your posts - they always make a difference’.

Well.

What the hell. I thought no one was paying attention. Not that I don’t have good stuff to say, just that social media is full of amazing people doing amazing things.

And I am like the smallest fry.

We are heavily influenced by what we see and hear of others achieving, most of which comes from the delights of social media.

As the old saying goes: Comparison is the thief of joy.

Feeling like a failure can cause you to withdraw from others at a time when you probably most need friends and family around you. It can become a vicious cycle.

Here are seven ways to help you overcome a feeling of failure.