I think a lot of people have lost hope recently. The constant bad news can stomp out any flicker of hope that you might have had remaining after two years of a global pandemic, floods, bushfires, angry protests, tragic accidents, etc. But if you can flame that ember back into life, it will help carry you through these tough times. Even though there is so much bad stuff in the world, there is still good. There are people who are kind, generous, heroic and courageous. We still live on a beautiful planet.
The sun still rises each day. There are still simple pleasures like ice cream on a hot day, laughing with friends, listening to your favourite band, and other good things you can enjoy.

Five ways to ignite hope:

1. Start with gratitude - make a list of all the good things in your life.
2. ​Replace your negative thoughts. The next time your thoughts are get stuck on a negative loop, change the message. For example, change 'this pandemic will never end' to 'other pandemics have ended, so this one will too.' You can't change what happens to you, but you can change how you react to it.
3. Spend time with friends - face to face connection is so important for your mental health.
4. You are stronger and more resilient than you think. Find some positive self-affirmations to remind yourself of this.
5. Get out in nature - I find that a walk through the bush or on the beach is good for the soul. Even laying in your backyard and watching the clouds or the stars can lighten your soul. 

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Kendall started The Blue Tree project after her brother took his life. He had not shared his struggles. There are currently 687 blue trees across Australia including some in the US, Canada and New Zealand.
If you are struggling, please talk to someone and get help. Here are the Australian numbers to call:

Kids Help Line - 1800 55 1800
kidshelpline.com.au


Suicide Callback Service - 1300 65 94 67
suicidecallbackservice.org.au


Lifeline - 13 11 14
lifeline.org.au


Kids Help Line - 1800 55 1800
kidshelpline.com.au

You know that feeling when you're stuck in a bad mood and you know you're sending out bad vibes left right and centre but you just don't seem to be able to snap out of it. Sometimes you don't even know why you're moody. There are things that you can do to boost your happy chemicals. While these things don't miraculously make your life all rainbows, sunshine and unicorns, they can help lift your mood. You can print out a copy of this poster to stick on your wall at home. Check out www.healthline.com for more information.

I enjoy watching the tennis. This weekend the Australian Open finals delivered some brilliant matches and valuable life lessons. Australian, Ash Barty, won the women's singles final after being 5-1 behind in the second set. She came back to win that set. 

Spanish player, Rafael Nadal, lost the first two sets then won the next three to win the men's singles final. He had just returned from an ankle injury that he thought would end his career, he had Covid19 in December, and he was 10 years older than his opponent. 

Even if you don't like tennis, you could learn a lot from these two. They both showed incredible grit by never giving up, even when the odds were stacked against them.