Growing up, you’re faced with so many challenges and life changes, from school and extracurricular, to relationships with family and friends. This can be difficult to navigate at the best of times, but it’s even trickier when you’re dealing with an illness. No one should have to handle the transition alone, though, and whatever their situation, everyone deserves support.
The Royal Children’s Hospital 2016 Education Youth Forum focused on just this: how to seek help when you’re dealing with a long-term physical or psychological health condition. There was a fantastic turn out of adolescents, family members, teachers, and friends, and a number of organisations gave talks on how to manage various health problems in relation to education and employment.
A few headspace members attended the forum to speak about managing mental health, what constitutes wellness, and where to go if you need support. My role entailed giving two talks, based on my own experiences dealing with physical and mental health issues. One was for patients/young people, and it focused on seeking support while experiencing or recovering from an ongoing health condition (physical, psychological, both). The other was for parents/carers, about how to offer and provide support to others while looking after yourself at the same time.
I think my overarching message was that although it can be incredibly tricky, painful, and scary dealing with things, help and hope are very real, and they can make a world of difference. If you’re struggling with anything, you aren’t abnormal, a burden, or a condition, despite what stigma, negative thoughts, labels, or medical charts might suggest. Rather, you’re human, you feel things, your wellbeing matters, and you matter, and there’s nothing to be embarrassed about or ashamed of in having a tough time.
I’ve wanted to speak about these things and my experiences as a way to help others for a long time, and actually having the opportunity to do so was amazing. That said, it isn’t about me. It’s about the fact that a lot of silence still surrounds various health conditions, but to have people advocating for change, come up after and say that what you said helped them, speak candidly with others about what they’re grappling with, or simply grab a fact sheet on something all help break that silence down.
We need more honest, open conversation, no matter how uncomfortable or painful a situation might be. Illness is complicated enough without the unwarranted stereotyping and sweeping that often surrounds it, and it is only by unashamedly breaking down these barriers that we will be able to stop whispering, and start addressing it properly.
Life can be really hard at times and some people are more exposed to illness than others, but regardless of the duration or severity of such issues, these things do not define you. If you’re going through something, don’t be afraid to reach out. Taking steps to address things can feel really difficult, but even the smallest shift can be a move in the right direction. Whatever the journey, your health is invaluable, and you are worth it.
