Monthly gossip sesh

Let's name your "mental health"

I'm 33. I've suffered with depression my entire life. I never knew how to name it to begin with, I started feeling hopeless around my early teens, my family didn't know what was wrong with me. There were no conversations back then about what "mental health" was, no true understanding for the behaviour I was displaying- feeling worthless, not motivated, hating my life, hating myself, wondering why nothing gave me joy or happiness. One day I found a book in my home, it was called "The Black Dog" it was a book given to my father from a doctor as he also suffered with "Mental Health", though we never really spoke about it openly. This book was the beginning of understanding myself, validating my experience, not feeling alone in my head. I remember sitting at the kitchen table crying, tears of relief that I finally had an answer to my emotions, a way out of my despair, a puzzle piece to the confusion. As I reflect on my life now and the journey I've been on to navigate my depression I realise that book was the first step towards getting help. It's taken a long time to get to a place im comfortable to speak about my depression. I went through years of numbing myself with alcohol and partying, failed attempts at therapy, the lowest point was during covid when i was the most isolated and having suicidal ideation, this pushed me to start medication and take therapy seriously. Five years on and I'm still taking my SSRI and about to start therapy again after a massive life event that's left me broken. But this time feels so different, this time I feel prepared and ready to take on the journey, without fear of the sadness or the pain. Part of healing is sitting in your pain and now I realise if you don't sit with it, it catches up with you in the most horrible ways, and it bleeds out onto your life and hurts those around you. So, I want to give back to the black dog institute for being an organisation that helps others who suffer or struggle with depression and any other mental health barriers, because resources like there's can have a huge impact on someone's life and weather they make the choice to battle this or give in. I hope you never give in to the voices that tell you your not worthy of living this life. I hope you dance. I hope you love. I hope you laugh. I hope you make it through the fog. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Support Our Walk for Mental Health Research

Did you know that 1 in 5 Australians experience symptoms of mental illness each year?

This October, our team is taking part in One Foot Forward to help Australians impacted by mental illness and suicide.

We're walking to raise funds for Black Dog Institute to put ground-breaking new mental health treatment, education, and digital services into the hands of the people who need them most.

It would mean so much to me if you donated to support our walk.

Together, we can create better mental health for all Australians.