Dr. Tony Fernando
Psychiatrist, sleep specialist
Compassion part one
“If you really want to enhance kindness and compassion you have to start from within…
Understand that deep inside, all of us are actually the same”
Compassion part two
“When you’re dealing with a difficult person, a difficult patient, a difficult family member,
it’s important to remember that person is difficult most likely because they are suffering”
The science of mindfulness
“Neuroscience research on mindfulness shows that our parasympathetic nervous system actually gets more engaged. This is important for feeling calm, feeling rested and feeling at peace”
Happiness
Three ways we can become happier
“When you have a higher level of gratitude, that will deal with our natural tendency to look at what’s wrong in life… It gives you incredible perspective”
Happiness
Pain, suffering and happiness
“We will always have pain and dissatisfaction. But the important thing is how do we live,
how do we relate to pain, dissatisfaction, frustration and suffering… not making the pain and dissatisfaction the main narrative of our lives”
Happiness
What does the research literature tell us about happiness?
“We interviewed people who were dying and asked: looking back at your life, knowing that
you’re dying, what made life worth it? The resounding answer was connection. Connection with family, friends, colleagues and even pets”
Happiness
The science of happiness
“When we want to become happier we have to look at the different components which
means there’s no one technique or method to be happy”
Sleep
How to get to sleep
“Be accepting. If you’re accepting that you might not get a good sleep at night, the chances are you will sleep better”
Sleep
Quality of sleep
“What we do before we sleep definitely influences the quality of our sleep”
Sleep
Taking naps
“A big proportion of our young people are actually sleep deprived. Napping is incredibly
helpful”
Sleep
Shift work and sleep
“Learning a bit about the basics of circadian rhythm can be very helpful in shift work”
