How was today?
Get it off your chest.
Antarctic expeditioners, remote area nurses and health workers, remote station and community staff, offshore crews, field researchers and mission operations. A long way from help, and from home.
Which best describes you?
This changes a few questions and which support lines come first. You can change it any time.
Everything you enter stays on this phone. Everything you enter stays on this phone, and works without internet. Nothing is sent to your employer, station leader or anyone else. Unladen Outpost is a prototype. It is not a medical or emergency service and is not connected to any employer, expedition program or government agency. · Give feedback
Take a moment.
If you can, step outside or into a quiet room for a few minutes. Tell someone on the team you need a moment. That's allowed.
Breathe with this
What you might be feeling
- Shaky, sick, or a racing heart
- Numb, or oddly calm
- Tearful, angry, or both
- Trapped, or desperate to leave when you can't
These are normal reactions. They usually settle over hours or days.
If it's bad news from home
Being far away when something happens at home is one of the hardest parts of remote work. Tell your station leader or a teammate. You don't have to hold it together alone.
Ground yourself
Look around. Name them, out loud or in your head.
Call someone now
Add your station leader, a teammate or your EAP in so they're here when you need them.
Not sure who to tell?
In a small team, the person you'd normally tell might be part of the problem. There are people outside your posting you can go to. Or write down what happened, just for you, while it's fresh.
What helps after
Handover to yourself
A few minutes at the end of the day. Notice what you're carrying, then leave what you can for the night.
Please talk to someone now
You said you've had thoughts of harming yourself or not wanting to be here. Please call one of these now. If you're in immediate danger, call 000.
Light load
This phone isn't letting the page save. Your result shows here but won't be kept.
About the conflict or harassment
In a small, isolated team there's often nowhere to go. Write down what happened, and contact your organisation's EAP or a support line outside the posting. If you're unsafe, tell your station leader or medical officer now.
Your safety
You said you didn't feel fully safe. That matters, even more when you can't leave. Tell your station leader or medical officer, or call a line outside your posting.
Looking after yourself tonight
You said you've got very little energy left. Eat a proper meal, get some light if there is any, and keep your sleep as regular as you can. Small routines matter more out here.
What might help
People you can call
This isn't a medical assessment. It's a way to notice how you're going over time.
How it's been going
Last 14 days
Handovers
This phone isn't letting the page save, so handovers won't be kept.
Privacy & your data
Add a PIN, download what you've entered, or delete everything from this phone.
Far from help, and from home
What to watch for, and what helps. Tap a heading to open it.
Emergencies with no help nearby
Remote workers often handle emergencies alone or with a tiny team, for hours or days before help arrives.
- Shock, replaying it and second-guessing yourself are normal.
- Debrief with your team, and ask for a call with someone outside the posting.
- Remote health workers can call the CRANAplus Bush Support Line any time.
- If it's still strong after a couple of weeks, talk to your medical officer, EAP or GP.
Team conflict and harassment
- Small groups living and working together for months get tense. It's common, not a failure.
- Raise small things early, before they build.
- If someone is bullying or harassing you, write it down and tell your station leader, or someone outside the posting if they're involved.
Bad news from home
- Illness, deaths, break-ups and kids struggling can all happen while you can't get home.
- Tell your station leader, even if there's nothing they can do.
- Ask what's possible: extra calls, time off, or an early return.
Long darkness, isolation and time
- Months of darkness or sameness can flatten your mood and mess with sleep.
- Keep regular meals, sleep and exercise.
- Light, routine and something to look forward to all help.
- Notice if you're withdrawing from the team.
Always on call
- Remote nurses, medics and station staff often never really clock off.
- Agree on real time off with your team, and protect it.
- Burnout creeps up. The signs below are worth watching.
Coming back
- Returning to cities, noise and crowds can feel strange or overwhelming.
- It's common to miss the posting, or the team.
- Give yourself time, and talk to others who've been there.
Signs you're carrying too much
- Dreading the next day, or counting days obsessively
- Snapping at teammates, or avoiding them
- Sleep falling apart
- Drinking more
- Feeling flat, numb or hopeless
Isolation affects everyone eventually. It's a normal response, not a weakness.
Space and mission operations
Isolation, confinement and high-stakes work are shared by space crews, mission control and Antarctic teams. The same basics help: routine, sleep, honest talk in the team, and support from outside.
When to get more help
If your load has been heavy for two weeks or more, talk to your medical officer, your EAP, or a support line. Many remote programs can arrange a confidential call with a psychologist.
People to call
Save the ones that apply to you. They stay on this phone and show up on the Help now screen.
Support lines
You don't have to go through your station leader
Sometimes the person you would normally tell is part of the problem, or it just does not feel safe. Here are other ways to get support. You choose what to do, and when.
From your organisation
Your program or employer can add its own EAP, psychologist and medical contacts here.
Someone outside your reporting line
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Free, confidential counselling, often available by phone or video from anywhere.
- CRANAplus Bush Support Line. For remote and rural health workers and their families, 24/7, 1800 805 391.
- Someone who's done a posting. They'll understand what's hard to explain.
- Your GP. Before or after the posting, and by telehealth.
Text or chat instead of calling
For when talking out loud isn't possible, or feels like too much.
For particular situations
Numbers are Australian unless shown. Outside Australia, findahelpline.com lists free lines in your country.
Spiritual and religious support
Some people find strength in prayer, ritual or their faith or cultural community after a hard day. Others find it in nature, music, exercise or quiet. Whatever gives you meaning counts.
If your workplace has a chaplain or wellbeing officer, they support people of any faith or none. Their role is to listen, not to persuade.
Words to start with
The first sentence is often the hardest. You could say:
"I'm not ready to make a complaint. I just need to talk this through."
"Can this stay between us? Is there anything you'd have to pass on?"
"It's hard to explain what it's like out here."
"I need to talk to someone outside the team."
What happens if I tell someone?
- Counsellors, peer supporters and helplines keep what you say private. The main exception is if someone is at serious risk of harm. If you're unsure, ask at the start.
- A union can give you confidential advice before you decide anything.
- Your station leader or manager can change rosters or tasks if you ask. You don't have to explain every detail.
- Your private record in this app stays on your phone unless you choose to share it.
Not ready to tell anyone?
That's OK. You can write down what happened, just for yourself, and decide later.
Numbers and services are for New South Wales and Australia-wide. Check with your organisation for its own services.
Write down what happened
It stays on this phone. It isn't a report, and nothing is sent anywhere. If you later decide to raise something, notes written at the time are easier to rely on than memory.
My entries
Entries can't be edited, so each one shows when it was written. To add something, write a new entry.
No entries yet.
If you decide to share it, you can download it or send it to yourself.
Your phone, your data
PIN lock
Ask for a PIN when the app opens, and after it has been in the background for a minute.
PIN is on.
The PIN stops someone else opening the app on your phone. It doesn't encrypt what's stored, so keep your phone locked too. If you forget it, you can delete everything and start again.
Hide the screen
Tap the eye button at the top of any screen to cover the app straight away, for example in shared quarters or the mess. Tap to come back, or enter your PIN if you've set one.
Download my data
Download everything you've entered (handovers, private record and contacts) as a text file. You could keep a copy, or show it to your GP or counsellor.
Delete everything
Deletes your handovers, private record, role, contacts and PIN from this phone.
Delete everything from this phone? This can't be undone.
About Unladen Outpost
Unladen™ Outpost is a prototype made by Co-Synthesist Pty Ltd, Newcastle NSW. Unladen™ is a trade mark of Co-Synthesist Pty Ltd. It isn't a medical or emergency service, and it isn't connected to any employer, expedition program or government agency. The questions haven't been clinically validated yet.
What's stored: your role, handovers, private record, saved contacts and settings, only in this phone's browser. Nothing is sent to anyone. There are no accounts, analytics or trackers.
Feedback: the feedback form is the only part of Unladen Outpost that sends anything, and only when you press Send. It doesn't include anything else from the app.
Keep in mind: if you clear your browser data or remove the app, what you've entered goes too. Download a copy first if you want to keep it.
Version 0.1 prototype · October 2026