Wellbeing | The Runway

Wellbeing is essential to the Australian Defence Force (ADF) as it directly impacts operational readiness, performance, and overall morale. When ADF personnel are physically fit, mentally resilient, and emotionally balanced, they can fulfil their duties effectively, make sound decisions, and enhance team dynamics. Prioritizing wellbeing creates a supportive environment, recognizes the sacrifices of personnel, and improves job satisfaction and retention. It also proactively addresses mental health challenges, reduces stress, and promotes psychological resilience among ADF members. By investing in the wellbeing of its personnel, the ADF ensures readiness, cohesion, and the overall success of military missions.

ADFA PT

Where do peptides come from? We found out.

Experimental weight-loss peptides such as Retatrutide are increasingly being bought online and injected by Australians despite being illegal and unapproved. The trend is driving demand for injection equipment and raising concerns about health risks.

A 'Second Brain' in The Gut Could Be Driving Constipation And Pain

Researchers identified Pdyn-expressing neurons in mouse colons that can promote forward faecal movement when activated outside the body, while triggering pain-associated behaviours in living animals, linking gut motility and sensation.

How Nature Helps Us Return to Ourselves

Spending even a few minutes in nature can reduce stress, broaden perspective, and restore mental wellbeing. Nature offers a simple way to step back from daily pressures by being present, rather than focused on productivity.

Having a spouse with dementia may increase your own risk of condition, study finds

A large study found spouses of people with dementia face about 70 percent higher dementia risk, likely due to shared traits, lifestyles and caregiving stress. Higher income and more children were linked to lower risk.

Five air-to-air refuellers from four countries Pitch Black 26, Amberley.

1 Habit That Kills Motivation for Most Adults

Chronic approval seeking can undermine motivation by replacing internal values with dependence on external validation. Rebuilding autonomy through values-based decisions and small actions, taken without seeking approval, helps restore intrinsic motivation and sustained engagement.

Gen Z is the first generation in history in which men are more religious than women. Why?

Australia is becoming less religious overall, but the author argues young men are now more likely than young women to identify with a religion—a divide strongly linked to political ideology and growing gender-based political polarisation.

The Uncanny Happiness of Common Unhappiness

Happiness is subjective and fleeting, shaped by contentment rather than the absence of suffering. Psychology suggests it grows through self-acceptance, confronting life's challenges, letting go of the past, fostering relationships, and living courageously and creatively.

A painting created by the students from Jerrabomberra Public School's 2D class on display at Headquarters Joint Operations Command in Bungendore, Canberra, as part of NAIDOC Week 2025. "21 Kangaroos (2D students) eagerly make their way to the watering hole /meeting place (school).

After the Blast, a Soldier Learns to Sleep Again

Art therapy can reveal trauma when words cannot. Effective recovery from traumatic brain injury requires coordinated, multidisciplinary care, with improvements in sleep, mood, and brain function playing a vital role in restoring wellbeing and hope.

Australian and Ukrainian soldiers.

The Staggering Rise of Mental Health Leave

Mental health leave has surged since the pandemic. Women, especially caregivers, account for the majority of mental health leave. Severe symptoms may justify leave, and early treatment with an established provider can support recovery.

A loadmaster of a Royal Australian Air Force No.36 Squadron C-17A Globemaster III admires the vastness of the outback of Australia during a training mission for Exercise Diamond Storm 24.

Would You Know if a Parasite Were Controlling Your Mind?

Toxoplasma gondii infects about a billion people worldwide, with rising prevalence and no vaccine or cure. While mental effects remain uncertain, confirmed harms include infertility and retinal damage, making greater awareness, research, and prevention essential.