Matthew Johnstone - Mindfulness & Mental Health - An author and illustrator passionate about mental ...

Travels From New South Wales

Speaker Topics

Being Mentally Healthy

In Australia, one in five people will struggle with mental health issues each year. The collateral damage from this is, adversely affected relationships, difficulty with work, productivity, self esteem, drug and alcohol problems to name a few. It is not only tough for the sufferer but can severely impact significant others such as partners, children, friends, colleagues and business. Sadly we only truly appreciate our mental or physical wellbeing after we lose it. So Matthew has created several talks around what it means to be mentally healthy. These talks are created to inspire a positive conversation about what mental health is, what it means to us, recognising symptoms when things go wrong, help seeking, how to reach out to others and how look after yourself. Read less

Capturing Mindfulness

If you were to see a psychologist or a Buddhist monk complaining of a busy mind there is a fair chance that they would recommend you look into mindfulness. There are many misconceptions about what this is and in a nut shell it is simply about paying attention to where you are, what you are doing, how you are feeling and what you are thinking. It is about observing situations, thoughts, feelings without engaging, chasing, changing or fighting them. So much of how we see life is driven by how we feel, how we think and how we react. Mindfulness allows us to step out of the stats quo and see things for what they are. Capturing Mindfulness is a lateral, creative approach to being NOW HERE as opposed to being NOWHERE. Read less

Quiet the Mind: If your soul aches take a moment

Meditation is one of the greatest ways we can give our over worked grey matter bit of a buffer from everyday life. Meditation does not solve the worlds problems but it can certainly help decrease stress, lower blood pressure, improve sleep, ease pain, improve metabolism. Not only that but it can make us calmer, happier, feel more engaged, more productive and it helps us be more present. This is a no nonsense, non cosmic, easy to understand guide which is accompanied with stunning visuals. Read less

Stressed Spelt Backwards is Desserts: Some sweet ideas on how to bring some calm into your life

Harvard researchers have found that 75 – 90% of visits to the doctor are caused by stress. In the old days stress was vital for fending off a sabre tooth tiger or an invading tribe. It literally helped us fight or flight. In modern day society a little stress helps us stay focused, do a good job and to turn up, but sadly we are currently more stressed than ever and too much stress can become harmful. We cannot stop relationship, work, financial or emotional stress but we can certainly change how we respond and deal with those triggers. This is an inspiring, research and evidence based talk put together with the help of clinical psychologist Dr Michael Player on how we can create more calm within our busy lives. Read less

The Alphabet of the Human Heart: The A to Zen of life

Based on the book The Alphabet of the Human Heart by Matthew and James Kerr. A is for Adventure. B is for Balance. C is for Compassion. D is for Daring and so forth. This uplifting talk is all about how we can get the most out of life while discovering who we are and what our core purpose is. Read less

Tough and Up: The art of building resilience

It is fair to say that we all set out in life with the hopeful expectation that everything will turn out OK, but life does not always go to plan. It is not to say that we should look at life with a sense of endless foreboding but more; we should greet each day as an opportunity. It is about owning problems, not your problems owning you. It is about acknowledging and accepting what may not be working in your life while putting your energies into what is. Do we stay down or do we get up again? Are we a victim or a survivor? Do we become stuck or do we grow and learn from an experience. The upbeat messages and imagery will resonate long after the talk is over. Read less

Matthew Johnstone

An author and illustrator passionate about mental health well-being

Matthew Johnstone is an accomplished author who draws upon his own research and experience to advocate for mental health.

Beginning his career in advertising, Matthew was as an award-winning creative who has worked in Sydney, San Francisco and New York. With a devoted understanding of communication and storytelling, Matthew has taken his skills in advertising and translated them to writing, illustration and presenting.

Matthew has written and illustrated six books, four of which have been best sellers. Upon the release of his second book ‘I Had A Black Dog’, Matthew has been able to explore the battle of overcoming depression; instilling tales of hope and resilience with his audience.

As the Creative Director of the Black Dog Institute, Matthew continues to develop educational programs dedicated to understanding mental health, mood disorders and mindfulness for schools and workplace. He is passionate about exploring mental health issues, educating audiences, and implementing strategies for better well-being.

In particular, he is focused on helping his audience:

Communicate more openly and effectively
Strive towards living more authentically
Be more present
Create more purpose in their lives
Work towards genuine happiness
Be resilient in the face of challenges and hardship

With a focus on highly visual stimuli, Matthew brings his stories to life with photographs and illustrations, not graphs or pie charts. He draws upon his years of research and experience to give audiences an inspiring and often humorous presentation.

Matthew has presented to schools, community groups, corporations, fundraiser events and different workplace environments. He is just as happy talking to teenagers as he is to the Reserve Bank.