As a young girl, I loved playing make-believe, watching movies, and bribing my family to watch my one-woman shows in the lounge room. I was quirky and incredibly close to my mum and two sisters. However, I experienced several challenges in my early life that hadn’t been processed, talked about, or healed.
In moments of high stress, I would hear voices, and I experienced several episodes of psychosis before the age of 12.
Throughout high school, I experienced severe distress due to mental health issues and by age 14, life felt overwhelming and unmanageable, and I lost hope.
I tried to continue through high school, but my mental health continued to decline. At 16, I was having daily panic attacks and couldn’t cope with the school workload and dropped out of year 11.
For the following two years, I rarely left home.
“During this time of social isolation and emotional distress, I was reluctant to seek help and defiant when Mum encouraged me to get support, but due to living 50km outside of Perth, support options were limited.”
Eventually (and reluctantly) I accessed the Personal Helpers and Mentors Program (PHaMs), where I met incredible workers who helped me focus on my strengths, break down my goals, and regain a sense of control. I also attended peer recovery groups, where I learned valuable insights about mental health and recovery that I still hold dear today.
Another helpful intervention was when my GP referred me to an Art Therapist. It was exactly what I needed. When I couldn’t find the right words, I picked a colour; when I couldn’t articulate my emotions, I painted a picture. Art therapy became an incredible outlet for processing my feelings and allowed me to step back from my overwhelming thoughts.
Eventually, I built up the confidence to enrol in a local Australian Sign Language (Auslan) class and began volunteering in a youth group and singing in a band.
After maintaining my support networks for several years, I set goals for my future. I lost weight, pursued a Diploma of Auslan, and gained an incredible group of friends within the Deaf Community. I also started a hobby business making cakes.
Employment changed my life for the better and 9 years later, I am now working as Lived Experience Lead at the Mental Illness Fellowship of Australia (MIFA).
I can’t express how grateful I am to the various community services that walked alongside me, to my family who supported me during tough times, and to the friends who saw the best in me.
“It’s important to remember that recovery is not linear—sometimes you take steps forwards, backwards, or sideways, but eventually, all those steps will add up, and you’ll look back and realise how much you’ve learned and grown.”
Trust the process, be kind to yourself, and know that even the smallest steps are significant.
