RSV Cases On The Rise & Grudges Actually Might Be Good For Us

Forget what you've been told about letting go, holding onto grudges might actually be good for you.

We explore the concept of why thoughtfully maintained grievances could be a form of emotional intelligence.

And in headlines today Aussies warned to be vigilant with hygiene as RSV cases climb; Police arrest a man in relation to the disappearance of Queensland teen Phoebe Bishop; Alleged mushroom killer Erin Patterson will return for a 4th day of testimony after admitting she factory reset her phone, threw out a food dehydrator and lied about having cancer yesterday; A candle lit vigil has been held outside Darwin parliament to support the family of a man who died in police custody; The Duke and Duchess of Sussex considered changing their surname to his mother Diana's maiden name Spencer

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Hosts: Claire Murphy & Taylah Strano

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:10):
You're listening to a Muma Mia podcast. Mamma Mia acknowledges
the traditional owners of land and waters that this podcast
is recorded on.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
Hi.

Speaker 1 (00:20):
I'm Claire Murphy. This is Mumma MIA's twice daily news podcast,
The Quickie. How many times have you been told to
make like Elsa and just let it go when someone's
wronged you? Well, what if all that advice about forgiveness
isn't actually the healthiest approach? Before I explain more, here's
the news headlines a Thursday, June five. It's RSV awareness

(00:42):
Week and with last year's record breaking infection numbers here
in Australia, we're being urged to be more vigilant when
it comes to protecting ourselves from the seasonal outbreak. While
we're often told to prepare for the oncoming cold and
flu season, there were also one hundred and seventy five thousand,
seven hundred and eighty six cases of RSV recorded in
Australia in twenty twenty four, with more than eighty six

(01:03):
thousand of those children aged under four. Doctor Andrew Rochford
explains that it can present similarly to colds and flu,
but it does have a few concerning differences.

Speaker 3 (01:13):
RSV, or respiratory sinsiti or virus, is a common and
highly contagious respiratory infection that shares symptoms with colds and
flu like cough, fever, and congestion. However, RSV specifically targets
deeper parts of the lungs, causing inflammation that can lead
to serious conditions like bronchiolitis and pneumonia, especially in older adults.

(01:37):
Unlike influenza, which has antiviral treatments available, RSV currently lacks
specific antiviral therapies, so management mainly involves supportive care, symptom
relief and prevention.

Speaker 1 (01:50):
Since twenty twenty one, RSV cases have been rising, with
an annual average increase of one hundred and forty six percent.
If that trend continues, Australia's facing yet another record year
of infection. Doctor Rochford says, like colds and flus, it's
our behavior that can spread it around.

Speaker 3 (02:07):
RSV spreads easily through drop life, from sneezes, coughs, or
on contaminated surfaces. Symptoms typically include a running nose, cough, sneezing, fever, headache, tidness,
and in severe cases, shortness of breath. And weezing. Most
healthy individuals recover within one to two weeks with rest, hydration,

(02:29):
and medication to manage symptoms. However, older adults, especially those
with underlying medical conditions like COPD, asthma or heart disease,
may require hospitalization. Older adults that are hospitalized with RSV
often spend twice as long in hospital compared to young children,

(02:49):
and may experience lasting health complications that impact their long
term independence.

Speaker 1 (02:56):
While children often make up the majority of cases, it's
older Aussies who are most at risk from severe symptoms
and further complications. Doctor Rochford says we need to do
our best to stay healthy during the height of RSV season,
which is late autumn and early winter.

Speaker 3 (03:10):
Older Australians are particularly at risk from RSV due to
weakened immune systems and underlying medical conditions. In fact, fatalities
from RSV are nearly four times higher in older adults
compared to young children under five. To protect yourself and others,
particularly older adults, good hygiene practices are essential. Frequent hand washing,

(03:33):
avoiding close contact with sick individuals, wearing masks, and regularly
disinfecting common surfaces. Additionally, older adults should consult their healthcare
professional about strategies to reduce RSV risk, which can include
vaccinations and maintaining overall health through proper nutrition and preventative measures.

Speaker 1 (03:54):
Three weeks after Queensland teenager Phoebe Bishop went missing from
the Wide Bay region north of Brisbane, a man's been arrested,
but as of this morning, no charges have been laid.
Phoebe had been living in Gingin with two people. She
was meant to board a flight from Bunderberg to double
Away on May fifteen, but while she left her home
that day, she never arrived at the airport. Police issued

(04:15):
a missing persons report on May sixteen and have been
searching ever since yesterday, announcing their calling off the physical
search for the seventeen year old instead. Police say searchers
will restart as needed when information is provided. On May
twenty one, police said they were treating her disappearance as suspicious,
establishing two crime scenes, one at the home she'd been
living in and another is her car that she was

(04:37):
believed to have been driving to the airport on the
day she disappeared. It was revealed yesterday the Phoebe's housemate,
thirty four year old James Wood, has been arrested, but
he's not been charged with anything at this point. Mushroom
cook Aaron Patterson will return to the stand in a
fourth day of evidence today as she defends herself against
a triple murder charge. Yesterday, Patterson explained how she cooked

(04:58):
the meal of beef Wellington and served it to her guests,
conceding she may have unintentionally added foraged death cap mushrooms
to the recipe, something she maintained she did unintentionally. Patterson
recalled feeling frantic after returning from the hospital where her
in laws Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail's sister Heather,
and her husband Ian were very ill. At the hospital,

(05:19):
she claimed she'd been confronted by her estranged husband Simon,
who asked her, is that how you poisoned my parents
using that dehydrator? Earlier in the trial, Simon denied making
that accusation, but Pattison said it was this that led
to her taking the food dehydrated to the rubbish tip,
fearing it might incriminate her, giving she'd used it to
drive the mushrooms weeks earlier. Patterson also admitted to doing

(05:42):
a remote factory reset on the phone that had been
taken by police after they searched her home, saying she
wondered if they'd been silly enough to leave it connected
to the internet, so she hit factory reset to see
what would happen. The accused admitted she lied to the
couples over the lunch about an ovarian cancer diagnosis, and
that she'd also lied about other medical issues she'd been having,

(06:03):
telling her mother in law about a suspected lump on
her elbow, which she told Gail Patterson required a needle
by and an mr RAI, both of which were untrue,
but Pattison maintained the lie after Gale showed a lot
of care which felt really nice, and she was too
embarrassed to admit it not being true. She said she
told them about the cancer because she was covering up

(06:23):
for her plans to have gastric bypass surgery, saying she
was ashamed she didn't have control over her body or
what she ate. The jury was also shown text messages
sent between Pattison and her in laws in response to
her husband, Simon's earlier evidence that Patterson had sent extremely
aggressive messages to the group chat after he questioned her parenting.

(06:43):
Patterson denied any exchanges between her and her in laws
were rude or had upset or hurt anyone. A candlelight
vigil's been held outside Darwin's Parliament in support of a
Northern Territory community who lost another young man in police custody.
Hundreds of people attended the vigil in support of Kumanjai
White's family after he died on May twenty seven after

(07:04):
being forcibly restrained by two plain closed police officers in
a supermarket in Alice Springs. The same community lost Koumenjai
Walker after he was fatally shot by a police officer
in a failed arrest attempt. Police alleged twenty four year
old White, originally from the Yundermu community, was shoplifting and
had assaulted a security guard who confronted him at the vigil,

(07:25):
Justice not Jails spokesperson Jade Ritchie said no police should
be investigating police in a death in custody case, as
the group calls for an independent investigation into White's death.
There are reports that Prince Harry considered changing their surname
to Spencer, like his mother Diana's maiden name. The Guardian
newspapers reporting that the Sussexes were considering the name change

(07:46):
when their passports were delayed, believing it was due to
UK officials blocking the applications due to their use of
the surname Sussex and the hr H titles for their children.
A source confirming they did consider the name change to
Spencer meeting with Harry's uncle, Diana's brother Charles to discuss it.
There were reports that Charles had advised them against the
change due to the hurdles in doing so, but the

(08:08):
source claims that is not true. Meanwhile, Meghan, the Duchess
of Sussex, has shared a video taken of her while
pregnant with lily Bet in honor of her fourth birthday.
Both her and Harry can be seen dropping it low
in the hospital room, dancing to encourage lily Beet to arrive.
In the caption, Meghan writes that this was them four
years ago, explaining that both Lilibet and Archie were a

(08:29):
week past their Jude date, saying so when spicy food
and all that walking and acupuncture didn't work, there was
only one thing left to do. She also shared some
sweet photos of Lily bed for her fourth birthday, both
with her and with Harry calling her a daddy's girl
and his favorite adventurer. That's what's been happening in the
world today. Next, why a grudge could be good? Do

(08:53):
you ever hold a grudge? Has someone wronged you and
despite everything, you just can't seem to shake it off? Well,
maybe that's not a bad thing. Taylor Strato explains how
holding grudges might just change how we deal with life's disappointments.

Speaker 2 (09:09):
Ry Here, we're bombarded with the same tired advice about
letting go of the past, finding closure, and taking the
high road. But what if holding onto certain grievances is
actually good for us? British writer Sophie Hannah certainly thinks so.
In her book How to Hold a Grudge, she suggests
creating what she calls a grudget. That's a grudge budget,

(09:31):
by the way, where we decide which grudges are actually
valuable enough to keep around. Now, before you dismiss this
as promoting bitterness, Hannah explains that a grudge doesn't have
to be vengeful or all consume it. Instead, she sees
thoughtfully maintained grudges as a form of emotional intelligence, a
way to find power in bad memories. Rather than pretending

(09:52):
that they never even happened. Okay, if it's not making
any sense to you, let's take one of Hannah's personal examples.
When friends once made her sleep in a bed full
of literal rubble. After that night, she didn't cut them
off completely or see with resentment. She simply remembered what
happened and adjusted her behavior accordingly. Aka, she never stayed

(10:12):
at that house again. Think of your grudget like a
financial budget. Just as you decide where to spend your money,
your grudget helps you decide where to invest your emotional energy. Okay,
here are some test scenarios. Number one, the colleague who
constantly underestimates your abilities. Are they worth a permanent spot
in your grudget? Absolutely? The person whose politics don't align

(10:37):
with yours, that's a maybe. And the person who imposes
on you. File that away for a future reference. The
best grudges, according to Hannah, maintain what she calls a
live relevance charge. That means they remain useful even when
the initial stink has faded. You don't need to feel
rage about past slights, but remembering them might influence how

(10:57):
you approach similar situations in the future. However, Hannah is
crystal clear on one point. Grudges should never lead to revenge.
The grudge should protect you, not consume you. There's a
difference between impotent anger, that festering rage that just sits there,
making your day more and more unpleasant, and active anger,

(11:18):
which motivates us to fix problems and move forward. So
next time someone tells you to just get over it,
remember that grudges might be serving you better than their advice.
After all, as Hannah would say, grudges can be great
when they're the right ones.

Speaker 1 (11:37):
Thanks for taking the time to feed your mind with
us today. The quickie is produced by me Claire Murphy
and executive producer Taylor Strano, with audio production by Lou Hill.
MoMA Mia Studios are styled with furniture from Fenton and Fenton.
Visit Fenton Andfentin dot com TODAYU