Tag Archive for: AU Mental Health Project (Personal)
Coping with Mental Health From a Culturally Different Background
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Growing up as a South Asian in a Christian family in Australia, I often felt a tension between my identity and the challenges I faced at home, compared to my life outside of those walls—both literally and figuratively.
Caring for My Anxious Wife … Without Despairing
Imagine waking up each day, having no idea what the day will hold. Sure, you know that it's a Tuesday, so the kids will be going to school, and you have work. But in reality, at any moment you could get a text that means you need to drop everything and return home.
That’s the reality of living with someone with a mental illness, especially when that person is your partner.
I’m a Counsellor, and I Struggled with Anxiety
“I’m sorry, there is no cure for your medical condition.” Those were the last words I expected to hear from my doctor. I was 28 then.
Can I Have Anxiety . . . and Still Trust God?
I was an anxious child. At four I paced around with a little frown, asking serious questions, and trying to prepare myself for the big wide world.
At 12, I would lie awake with a churning stomach and restless thoughts. I’m 23 now, and the anxiety hasn’t disappeared.
To my Past-Self Who Knew Very Little About Anxiety
Dear anxious Rosie,
You are not alone in your anxiety.
God feels incredibly far away at this moment, but the truth is, He has never been closer to you. He hasn’t discarded you because you are too difficult or too broken to love. He hasn’t broken any of His promises to you. He is holding you together right now. Don’t give up on trying to find God.
When I Stopped Viewing Anxiety as My Enemy: 3 Lessons I Learned
It’s usually once I’m seated in a rollercoaster, and the attendants start doing their safety checks that I’m regretting my decision to go on the ride. Panic would fill my stomach. I find it hard to breathe. I feel like I’m about to die and that feeling continues to grow as the train gradually arrives at the peak of the rollercoaster.
And that’s what my anxiety feels like.
I Had Agoraphobia—I Didn’t Know What It Was
How many people think to themselves, “I won’t walk in the park today because I might poop myself?” “I won’t drive the car because I might pass out behind the wheel?” “I won’t drink coffee because I might shake so violently that I can’t sit upright?”
I Kept My Anxiety a Secret Because I Was Ashamed
Living with anxiety feels like living with this giant called "fear", shadowing me everywhere I go. I had little confidence in doing new things and meeting new people. I had a lot of battles of the mind which could be quite negative, chaotic, and exhausting.
I’m a Christian Leader—Should I Be Struggling with Depression?
It was the day after Christmas three years ago. My dad had just been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.