As restrictions ease further today in New South Wales, it can be easy to forget much of Australia is still doing it tough. With the Central Coast lumped back into Greater Sydney, I’m still separated from my family in Newcastle. I’ve spoken to friends in Melbourne who find looking at the images from Sydney a little hard to take. Their restrictions will ease on Friday, but with daily cases at close to 2,000, many still don’t feel confident venturing out. People focus on mental health while we’re all locked down, but I think it’s something that will concern us for some time as we try to navigate the new normal. So I was thrilled to discover Scrub Sessions, a cool podcast series focusing on music and wellness from the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
There are three episodes so far, including the latest featuring doctor and singer-songwriter Gordi. Here’s an awesome musical performance from that episode.
Hosted by the head and founder of the hospital’s Scrub Choir Dr Emma O’Brien OAM, all the episodes feature interviews and music, including some great wellness tips.
“Scrub Sessions aim to lift the spirits of our staff, patients and community,” Dr O’Brien explained. “It’s been a long difficult road for us all, and it is at these times, more than ever, that we need to stay connected and celebrate small moments of joy, working together to face the multiple health, physical, mental and emotional challenges brought on by the pandemic – Scrub Sessions aim to keep the hope alive.”
If you need a pick-me-up, I thoroughly recommend checking the Scrub Sessions out on YouTube or your favourite digital streaming platform.