Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 8 i WellBeing Wild

WILD ones. Raise your hand if you’re completely burned out. Fried. Numb. Hit a wall. You’re not alone. Living through a pandemic takes an immense toll on mental health. Burnout was already on the rise pre-pandemic, but add to the mix reduced support and the absence of security and it can feel untenable. At the time of writing, large parts of the country are stuck at home, depressingly lacking almost all social contact. Sitting in the same room, at the same kitchen table, staring at the same computer, day in day out has left many of us maxed out and run down. I, for one, feel like a dim-witted variation of my once-productive, formerly-inspired self. My creativity has all but dried up and I have long passed my wit’s end.…

Welcome to the new normal, WILD ones. Take a breath — inhale slow and deep, then exhale it all out. Feel the tension unwind from your bones and release in your mind. Let the breeze carry away the slumber of the past 18 months and consider where you will go from here. The world is beginning to reopen, but Mother Nature is urging us to reconsider our way of life. It’s easy to get caught up in consumption culture. We’ve been programmed to want it all — reaching, hustling and working ourselves into the ground for an unattainable ideology. But as we emerge from the chaos of the pandemic, allow yourself time to breathe. Ask yourself: what brings me joy? Then act on it, not for monetary gain but for…

We often think of a bad mood as something we need to “snap out of”. Dark clouds of despair, malaise or melancholy are to be surmounted by any means necessary. The good mood, though, the days where you get out on the right side of bed, are to be celebrated and embraced. We’re conditioned to avoid negative emotions, but what if all moods — the good, the bad and the hangry — can help us understand ourselves better? Lauren Martin, author of The Book of Moods and founder of online community Words of Women, believes in the power of moods. “If you look at your mood as something to analyse, rather than something to be scared of or freaked out about, and instead start documenting it, it really changes how…

Hair and Skin With unrealistic standards of beauty pounded into all of us on a daily basis, external health is an undeniably big deal. The skin is a living, breathing marvel of purpose, the ultimate reflection of your inner health universe. Beneath its surface exists an entire wonderland. The skin creates a barrier — a human safety suit — and is part of the protective integumentary system (made up of the skin, along with hair, nails, nerves and glands), which is also heavily involved in detoxification. Skin performs a whole slew of tasks and needs care and consideration; it is our softly set armour. Your skin can also tell you a great deal about what is actually going on inside you. The skin, hair and nails are excellent markers of…

In 1926 on 8th Avenue, everyday New Yorkers would arrive at a simple, homely gym filled with peculiar apparatus, weights and mats. They came in their hordes to be taught by “eclectic physical trainer”, Joseph Pilates, or JP as he was affectionately referred to. JP was a German immigrant who called his mat-based method of movement “Contrology”. He curated a particular order of 34 exercises that were designed to move the body through its fullest range of motion, in all different directions. His work reveals to us that there are no “good” or “bad” muscles, but rather the whole body is designed to be resilient, anti-fragile and strong. In short, JP was an advocate for fearless movement. Before I came to teach Pilates, and then eventually teach Pilates teachers, I…

Like many Aussies, I have spent the last few months in an exclusive relationship with my four walls. It has been enough to drive even the most stubborn homebody crazy, and as far as hermits go, I can give most a run for their money. As one lockdown day melted into another, I found a welcome escape — the colourful online world of interiors inspiration. One such destination is the Instagram account of Rachel Castle and her eponymous homewares brand CASTLE. Not only are Rachel’s designs, with their smacks of colour and abstract prints, ridiculously Instagrammable (something that delights her 177,000 followers), but they also depict the sort of uplifting witticisms we all need to hear right now: “I get lockdown but I get up again” and “Let’s just be…

What inspired you to launch The Unseen? I wanted to bring to life a brand that truly celebrated our diversity with comfortable staple pieces that didn’t compromise on style. And, alongside this, a brand that could use business for good. All those elements came together and The Unseen was born — it hasn’t stopped evolving since! When do you feel the most wild? Just disappearing into nature; I adore camping and where we live, we are so lucky to have the rare opportunity to camp on the beach just north of Noosa. Going to sleep listening to the ocean, waking with the sun and spending your day in nature and simply existing without a thought for time or busyness — it’s the ultimate stress release and the moments I’ll always…

Home is… “Green tea in the bush.” We’re both mixed race and have grown up with a blend of two worlds — living in very Chinese households but against distinctly Australian backdrops. What we’ve loved most about home is that it has meant living intergenerationally, with family in one place. A few things are changing as we’ll be moving into our own terrace together soon. Our plans for the space are: hanging plants, timber piled with rugs from souks, painting art straight onto the walls, a kitchen filled with clay and spices, long linen curtains, skylights, a soft lounge for our friends and sunsets from our rooftop garden. We can’t wait. How we start our day… Neither of us are morning people, so we usually have lazy starts to the…

The Nordic countries seem to have a few secrets up their sleeves when it comes to living a happy, content life. The Dutch have hygge, the Norwegians have koselig and as for the Swedes? They have lagom. Pronounced “lah-gom”, lagom is a Swedish way of living that translates to “not too little, not too much” or “just right”. But lagom is more than just a Goldilocks attitude or perfectly portioning your food. To live lagom is to live balanced, slow and sustainably. The Swedish proverb “Lagom är bäst”, meaning “The right amount is best”, is underscored by the concept of slow living, where sustainability, mindfulness and purposeful actions pave the way to a content, joyful life. As Niki Brantmark, author of Lagom: The Swedish Art of Living a Balanced, Happy…

I’ve always been a sucker for trying new things. Every month I attend at least one creative workshop, engaging my brain in anything from cross-stitch to watercolours to game design. While none of these short classes gives me qualifications, that’s not really what I’m looking for. Whether online or offline, engaging with fellow creatives and likeminded folks is always one of my main goals. Hillary Wall, founder and creative director of Cork & Chroma, says their paint-and-sip sessions are designed to create a supportive, social atmosphere. “When you’re surrounded by people who are in the process along with you,” says Hillary, “there’s a lovely sense of connection and community that we think enhances and emboldens your individual creative process.” In such an atmosphere, learning is no longer a chore, but…

Aries March 21–April 19 This season brings you depth and transformation, with the cosmos sparking your connection to the intuitive part of you, Aries. This is the part of you connected to the universe’s truths and the part of you that knows who you truly are, beyond any identity. Your most potent medicine at this time can be found in holding the bigger picture perspective as you lean into healing any wounds that still hold you in the past, specifically related to your family of origin. Now is the time to learn to cultivate more rest than you may think is possible, as you ignite your inner flame and courageously choose to feel all that longs to be felt, comforted, sat with and, finally, released. Normalise the mess and remember…

Society of Wanderers I’m something of a bed linen snob; happy to spend a considerable amount of my pay cheque on French flax linen in bold green stripes or shades of clay pink. Society of Wanderers, a linen brand with serious flair, is one of my go-to brands for super-soft, high-quality linen in killer patterns. For retro-inspired prints with rustic charm, you can’t go wrong with this Torquay-based brand. Especially if, like me, you prefer the no-need-to-iron, mix-and-match variety of linen. Perhaps my favourite part of Society of Wanderers is the brand’s impeccably styled Instagram feed, which offers all the inspiration you could dream of for creating lively colour combinations. I’ve recently added the lilac gingham ruffle pillowcases to my collection. They look as great in a mash-up with my…

Books In a bid to stave off the lockdown blues, I have been on something of a reading frenzy for the past month. Some of my favourites so far have been Miranda Cowley Heller’s The Paper Palace (which I review in our Counter Culture section on page 136), Meg Mason’s lovely, Sydney-based novel You Be Mother and the dazzling documentary-style Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Art I was thrilled to interview Rachel Castle about her homewares brand CASTLE. Her joy-filled artworks are exactly what we need to feel uplifted right now.…

The generation that grew up on a diet of hypersexualised pop stars has a new icon for aspirational fodder — that of the Goopy Gwyneth variety. Over the past decade, millennials have been told to stop worrying about being sexually desirable and instead aspire to reach the lofty heights of “fitspo”. We’ve ditched the denim hotpants and replaced them with hemp-fuelled green smoothies, embodying a lifestyle characterised by cruelty-free skincare, organic produce and a work-life balance that surely only exists for those who don’t actually have to make a living. All the while, our wellness-filled lives need to be aesthetically snapped and shared on our social media platforms, #wellbeingwarrior. Globally the wellness industry is worth over $4 trillion. Key figures in the wellness army, and those aspiring to make it…

I am one of the one in six Australian mothers who have experienced postnatal depression or anxiety. I am no stranger to anxiety. The year before I fell pregnant with my eldest son, I experienced an incredibly intense season of unrelenting anxiety which involved flying home from a work trip certain I was going to die of either panic or humiliation. But in the postpartum period following the birth of my second son, my anxiety presented differently. It was a subtle tic that left me with a faint unease within myself and the world around me. A feeling so easy to dismiss as a symptom of nights of broken sleep, or adjusting to the juggle of having two children under two. Because I felt so connected to my boys, I…

Tell us about the Pana Organic range. Pana Organic creates amazing, plant-based, organic foods for every occasion. All of our products are also gluten-free and made locally in Australia. Our original range is rich, fudgy dark chocolate, lovingly crafted and hand-wrapped in Melbourne. We have now added white, caramel and mylk chocolate to our collection, and diversified into deliciously innovative categories of frozen desserts, spreads, baking and drink blends. We never stop innovating and always have something new on the horizon. What is the heritage and story of your brand? In 2012, after a number of years in research and development (even travelling to Europe to study the craft of artisan chocolate in Belgium and raw chocolate in the UK), I launched Pana Chocolate. It started as a side hustle…

From a young age, we are taught a lot of misconceptions about love. We learn that love changes the way we act, that it drives us to acts of desperation and leaves us dazed and consumed by thoughts of our beloved. To be shot by Cupid’s arrow is something we all long for. Romeo and Juliet were so in love they couldn’t live without one another. Carrie loved Big so much she was willing to accept the bare minimum affection in return and revolve her entire life around him. Don’t get me wrong — I adore Sex and the City, and Carrie Bradshaw is one of the reasons I became a writer. But I never understood why she chose Big. To me, it didn’t look like love. It looked like…

Charlotte, talk us through the moment you decided to create By Billie. I was a new mum and had just moved my whole life from Brisbane to Crescent Head, a small coastal town on the mid-north coast. I was in the throes of new motherhood and felt a strong need to have a creative outlet (it’s so easy in the first year to feel like you have lost a bit of your identity). During this time there weren’t a huge amount of children’s clothing brands so I felt like there was a space for me in the market. I vividly remember the night I conceptualised By Billie. I was up late breastfeeding my three-month-old and was researching manufacturers with an emphasis on finding one who accepted low MOQs (a small…

What makes you feel the most wild and alive? When I am completely immersed in Mother Nature. When I am feeling lost, overwhelmed, stressed or I need to be mentally nourished, I plug into my meditation music and walk among all the beauty that surrounds my home. I am lucky that I’m surrounded by a national park full of watering holes, waterfalls, walking tracks and more. Being with Mother Nature is when I feel most alive and wild. This is something that I have taught my two young children — to immerse themselves in nature and to embrace the beauty of the outdoors. When did your love for art and creating first begin? I had an intrinsic calling to create from a young age. For as long as I can…

Leila glides through the clear water in her healing tank. Her flippers propel her toward a scrap of lettuce and as she surfaces to claim her meal, her shell glimmers beneath the sunshine. This green sea turtle is just one of hundreds of rescued turtles that have been nurtured back to health in the nine tanks at Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre (CTRC) on Fitzroy Island, just a short stroll through the bush from the island’s sole resort. “CTRC has been around since 2000,” says marine biologist and master reef guide Azri Saparwan. “Since then, we have attended to injuries ranging from entanglement to ‘floater syndrome’, but most are due to anthropogenic impacts.” In mid-2017, Leila was found washed ashore in Cape York. At just one week old, she had already…

Just four short weeks after having my baby, I was back in my home office, ploughing through freelance gigs in a milk-stained dressing gown. Trying to crank my brain back into action, the only clear thought I could muster was: what on earth am I doing? After three months, I was back at work full-time. And just a week after that, I drove from Sydney to Canberra for a friend’s birthday celebration, breast pump in tow and a two-hourly reminder to pump set on my phone. My friends congratulated me for making it “all work”. I cringe when I look back on those moments and the image I put out: a new mum who had it all figured out, who was dedicated to her career and could leave her baby…

Living a life that empowers me, whilst being generous and kind to others too. @charlotterodgrs Feeling content from within. Knowing yourself and what you’re meant to be doing in life. @abbeywinchester Spending as much quality time as possible with the people who mean the most to me. @anneka.rosie Purpose. Growth. Passion. Sleeping with a peaceful conscience. @noa_shewrote Living and working according to your values. @slegriaalano Being able to live free of judging myself or bound by others’ judgements. @gracelaidlaw_…

When do you feel most wild and alive? Experiencing new things and getting out of my comfort zone. Whether it’s travelling, trying a new hobby or starting a business, I’m naturally curious and love to try new things. I think it’s important to be grounded in life, but I always try to push myself as well. After being diagnosed with endometrial polyps, I realised that my journey to motherhood might not be as straightforward as I had imagined. I had long wanted to be a mother but suddenly, I needed to know how to best prepare myself for what was to come. Talk us through the moment you decided to create Bare Mum. I delved into the sea of information (and misinformation!) around preconception, pregnancy and birth, and realised when…

Home is… “Where is home?” is a tricky question for me because I grew up in the UK but I was born in Sydney. I guess I’ll always have two homes and a foot in both countries. I currently live in Bondi but to be clear, I don’t wear white linen and I’m still never sure what I’m meant to wear to the beach. My apartment has been coined “The Penthouse” by friends — it’s by far the best place I’ve ever lived. How I start my day… I don’t have a typical morning. There’s always some music involved, coffee and cuddles with my cat but it changes day to day. I’ve been told so many times about the importance of a morning routine and I’ve really tried to implement…

When we look for love, we have a tendency to compile the best and worst parts of our past relationships into a mental guidebook of sorts. A dissimilar sense of humour: no. A devastating smile: yes. An overprotective best friend: no. An addiction to terrible reality TV: yes. We compose our online dating profiles with meticulous scrutiny, mentally fleshing out the undertones of every word as if we’re preparing for a one-in-a-thousand job interview. And then we get to the mother of all questions: “What are you looking for in a relationship?” Here, we faithfully write our checklist, a mosaic of highlights from our previous relationships. But is this the winning formula, or are we simply chasing a romantic illusion, destined for failure? Whether we date online, blindfolded, on reality…

It’s not you, it’s me. I feel like we’re two different people who want different things. It’s just not working. These are phrases we associate with breakdowns in romantic relationships, but last year I found myself thinking them over and over as I prepared to message a person who I’d once considered my best friend — let’s call her Sarah — to tell her that I think our friendship should come to an end. I felt like we were heading down different paths and, to be honest, it was all beginning to feel a bit one-sided. This did not happen overnight. We’d been drifting for years after I’d moved away from our hometown, moved to America (and back), gone through a bad breakup and become so consumed by anxiety that…

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Back in my home town of Moruya, on the south coast of NSW, there’s a burgeoning growers scene with locals and visitors excitedly connecting over freshly plucked veggies and the rich soil from which they’re grown. The local farmer’s market is the town epicentre, where people and produce — as unique, wholesome and full of life as each other — make the weekly pilgrimage to relish in the joy of Mother Nature’s bounty. Eliza and Alex, farmers and founders of Borrowed Ground, are one of the much-loved and well-respected stallholders loading their harvests into the baskets of hungry-bellied marketgoers each and every week. On a recent trip down south to visit family, I drove past the Borrowed Ground market garden one morning and could see Eliza and Alex out working…

Fiction The Paper Palace MIRANDA COWLEY HELLER, PENGUIN I haven’t read a novel in some time that has gripped me as much as The Paper Palace did. Tightly woven and cleverly constructed, Miranda Cowley Heller’s debut plays out over one summer’s day in the life of Elle Bishop. The anchoring story is interwoven with 50 years of Elle’s devastating family history and its long-held secrets, which unspool with gut-wrenching realisation. It’s a novel that cracks open the heart and exposes the consequences of choices made and paths not taken. An occasionally uncomfortable read, with scenes of rape, incest, abuse and trauma, Heller gets to the heart of what it is to be shaped by the people, places and moments, both momentous and seemingly inconsequential, of one’s past. Heller’s sense of…