Better Heart

24/05/2026

Come start your healing journey on country.
Your spirit will thank you later.
Happy Self Care Sunday.

26/04/2026

❤️‍🩹

There’s a certain kind of clarity that comes with doing real inner work.

Your tolerance for unnecessary chaos quietly shrinks.

You start to notice pretty quickly who you feel lighter around and who you feel heavier around.

Who you can be fully yourself with and who requires you to manage yourself just to get through a conversation.

And alongside that awareness comes something equally important.

A real desire to be that safe, grounding presence for the people in your own life.

To be someone others feel genuinely comfortable around.

The relationships that feel like home, where there’s no performance, no walking on eggshells, just comfort and honesty and real ease, those are worth protecting.

And becoming that kind of person for others is just as worth pursuing. ❤️

31/03/2026

There comes a point where you stop waiting… and start choosing yourself.

This is that moment.

We’re opening expressions of interest for our 6-week online Leadership & Self-Care Sessions — created for people who are ready to deepen into who they are, lead in their own way, and honour their wellbeing as a priority, not an afterthought.

This space is intentional.
It’s grounded.
And it’s for people who are ready to step forward with purpose.

Over 6 weeks, you will:
• Reconnect with yourself in a real and meaningful way
• Grow your leadership from a place of authenticity, not pressure
• Learn practical self-care tools you can carry into everyday life
• Sit alongside others who are also choosing growth, clarity, and alignment

Important:
This program is only available to people who have already attended at least one of our workshops, to ensure the space remains safe, connected, and high quality.

If you’ve been feeling the call to step forward — not louder, not harder — but more aligned, more grounded, more you…

This is your invitation.

Head over to the website and register your Expression of Interest.

Don’t wait for the “right time.”
The shift happens when you decide.

Much love as always.

26/03/2026

Great couple of days spent together.

A few of us just returned from Kellerberrin where we facilitated first aid training and discussed emergency preparation in the community.

Just in time for a flood warning and cyclone!

What an epic time we all had. It was the best time learning with families... parents, aunties, uncles, nans and pops. The Best!

Can't wait to do it again.

Thanks to Rebbeca at Better Heart and all who came to the course or visited during the 2 days.

25/03/2026

25/03/2026

We’ve made a decision.

Better Heart will no longer be applying for funding.

Not because the work isn’t needed —
but because the system is not built for organisations like ours to succeed in it.

We have spent countless hours writing applications, telling our stories, proving our worth, outlining community need — only to compete against large organisations with full grant-writing teams, established influence, and structural advantage.

This is not a level playing field.

And it raises a bigger issue that needs to be named:

Deficit discourse.!

The funding system often requires us to present our communities through what’s “wrong” —
what’s broken, what’s lacking, what’s failing.

It forces us to frame our people through trauma, disadvantage, and statistics just to be seen as “eligible.”

But our communities are not deficits.
Our people are not problems to be justified on paper.

We carry power, knowledge, culture, leadership, and solutions — yet the system rewards those who can package pain the best, not those who live the solutions every day.

And while we sit behind computers trying to “prove” need,
our people are still out there needing support right now.

So we’re changing the way we operate.

Better Heart is now a fee-for-service organisation.

This means we are choosing sustainability, independence, and integrity over systems that limit impact.

We are backing the value of our work, our expertise, and our lived experience — without needing to reduce our people to funding criteria.

From paperwork → to people.
From proving → to doing.
From competing → to leading.

We will continue our work — on Country, in community, and in truth — without waiting for permission from systems that were never designed with us in mind.

If nothing changes, nothing changes.

So we are changing the way we move.

— Better Heart Aboriginal Corporation

Much love as always.

24/03/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1awoyQgCXP/

24/03/2026

The Easter Weekend is just around the corner and Better Heart will be having our first Self-Care Weekender on Country for 2026.

Theres never been a more important time to invest in our self-care & wellbeing.

With our stress being heightened Self Care becomes the starting point.

Better Heart understands the importance of healing on Country.
We will be camping out on Country over the Easter long Weekend.

If your keen on joining us please head to our website and register. We have a limit of 20 people to maintain safety for all participants.

Better Heart is looking forward to working with our next Vibe Tribe cohort

Much love as always.

22/03/2026

Today we have a very important self-care message.

I 've notice a lot of people are commenting or giving advice to others by telling them to be strong please have a read.

****************************************************************

The Problem With “Being Strong"!

From a psychological and trauma-informed perspective, strength has often been misused as a survival strategy.

For many people — especially those carrying trauma — "being strong" has meant:

* Suppressing emotions
* Pushing through pain
* Minimizing distress
* Staying functional at all costs

In clinical terms, this is called "emotional over-regulation through suppression".

And suppression is not resilience.

It is delay.

When someone is told to “stay strong”, the nervous system often interprets that as:

> “Hold it together.”
> “Don’t fall apart.”
> “Don’t burden others.”
> “Don’t feel this right now.”

So instead of processing distress, they override it.

This leads to:

* Emotional bottling
* Dissociation
* Shutdown responses
* Chronic stress loading

Over time, this creates what trauma psychology calls:

👉 Delayed emotional processing

And delayed processing doesn’t make pain disappear.

It compounds it.

Eventually, it leaks out through:

* Burnout
* Addiction
* Anger
* Withdrawal
* Depression
* Physical illness

So, the truth is:

Being strong for too long becomes a risk factor — not a protective factor.

Strength vs Resilience

Strength says:

“Keep going no matter what.”

Resilience says:

“Pause, feel, process, adapt.”

Resilience is built through:

✔ Emotional validation
✔ Safe expression
✔ Co-regulation with others
✔ Meaning making

Not through endurance alone.

When people deny their feelings in the name of strength, the nervous system stays activated.

Trauma-informed care recognizes:

👉 Healing happens through **regulation**, not repression.

Why Vulnerability Is the Real Protective Factor

Research consistently shows that recovery improves when people practice:

* Vulnerability
* Safe connection
* Self-compassion
* Emotional literacy

Courage is not the absence of struggle.

Courage is saying:

“This is hard and I can’t carry it alone.”

Kindness toward self-interrupts shame.
Connection interrupts isolation.
Expression interrupts internal pressure.

These are resilience-building behaviours.

Why Reaching Out Is So Hard

The post encourages people to talk — and that’s valid.

But it overlooks an important trauma reality:

When someone is already overwhelmed, reaching out can feel neurologically impossible.

Because distress activates:

1. Shame responses

“I should be able to handle this.”

2. Learned self-reliance

“I don’t want to be a burden.”

3. Freeze states

Low energy, numbness, shutdown

4. Threat perception

“If I open up, I might be judged or rejected.”

The nervous system prioritizes survival over connection.

And for many people, silence was once protective.

So, reaching out requires:

* Safety
* Trust
* Emotional capacity

All of which are often depleted when someone is struggling most.

This is why “just ask for help” can feel overwhelming.

Not because people don’t want support —
but because their system is already overloaded.

The Reframe

Healing is not built through constant strength.

It is built through:

* Vulnerability
* Emotional honesty
* Safe connection
* Self-kindness

Resilience grows when we address pain —
not when we outlast it.

Because:

👉 Strength without processing leads to breaking point
👉 Vulnerability with support leads to recovery

So rather than encouraging people to "be strong",
we might better support mental health by encouraging:

> Be real.
> Be open when you can.
> Be gentle with yourself when you can’t.

That’s not weakness.

That’s regulation.

And regulation is what allows healing to begin.

Much love as always.

20/01/2026

14/12/2025

Happy Self Care Sunday, its lovely weather out there.
Hope you're all having a great day.

Here are some self-care tips for the Christmas season.

1. Set a realistic budget and stick to it.
Overspending is one of the main sources of holiday stress. A budget helps you protect essentials like food, fuel, rent, medication, and bills. Financial stability is a form of mental and emotional safety—don’t sacrifice it trying to meet social expectations.

2. Choose meaningful, not expensive, gifts.
Commercialism convinces us that love equals money. It doesn’t. Simple, handmade, or low-cost gifts reduce financial strain while still showing care. Avoiding debt protects your wellbeing long after Christmas Day has passed. Ensure they are age-appropriate gifts.

3. Prioritise household needs first.
Christmas is one day. Your wellbeing lasts all year. Ensuring your home is stocked, bills are paid, and essentials are covered will prevent January stress, anxiety, and financial hardship.

4. Limit alcohol and avoid drugs.
Many people use alcohol or drugs to cope with stress, grief, or family tension during the holidays. While it feels like short-term relief, it increases anxiety, lowers mood, disrupts sleep, and can escalate conflict. Staying sober—or drinking in strict moderation—keeps your mind clear and your emotions regulated.

5. Do not drink and drive.
Your life, and the lives of others, are worth far more than a moment of convenience. Alcohol and drugs slow your reaction time and impair judgement. Choose a designated driver, use taxis, organize a pick-up, or simply stay overnight. Safety is non-negotiable.

6. Take care on the roads.
Christmas traffic is stressful. Plan ahead, slow down, and keep your patience. Fatigue, frustration, and rushing increase the risk of accidents. Arriving safe is more important than arriving fast.

7. You do NOT have to stay at family gatherings if you don’t feel safe.
Emotional, cultural, or family pressure should never override your safety. If a situation feels unsafe, triggering, overwhelming, or disrespectful, you have the right to leave. Walking away is a protective strategy, not a sign of weakness.

8. Take breaks from social overwhelm.
Family events can be loud and emotionally charged. A short walk, quiet moment, or grounding exercise helps prevent burnout. Your nervous system deserves care too.

9. Simplify your commitments.
You don’t need to attend every event. Overcommitting creates exhaustion and resentment. Protecting your energy is an important act of self-respect.

10. Check in with your mental health early.
For many, Christmas intensifies loneliness, grief, financial stress, or unresolved trauma. Reach out to supports before things build up. Early intervention prevents emotional overload.

11. Create low-cost traditions.
Connection doesn’t have to cost money. Beach days, games, storytelling, free community events, walking Country, or memory-making activities build stronger bonds than expensive gifts.

12. Protect your January.
What you do in December determines how you start the new year. Overspending, heavy drinking, or pushing through unsafe environments will come at a cost. Stabilizing your life now sets you up for a stronger, healthier beginning to 2026.

I'm off work until 20th February 2026.
If you want to book in a Self-Care Workshop in 2026 then please email me as soon as possible: [email protected]

Thanks to those organizations who have already booked, we will see you all in 2026.

Have a great Christmas break and Happy New Year.

Don't forget - self care all day every day!

Much love as always.