3. You are not your mental illness

Today's episode is all about my personal experience with mental health and some the challenges I've encountered over the course of my young adulthood as well as some of my insights from my personal journey of healing. Please keep in mind this is not advice and does not replace the proper guidance and support of licensed counsellors/therapists/psychologists and will not be relevant for everyone. This is purely a condensed version of my experience (and I do go off on tangents) over the last 6 years so it is important to understand that my journey has not been easy, and getting to the place I am now, has been an incredibly long road.This episode is validation for anyone who may be struggling. You are seen, you are heard and your struggles are valid. No one should have to go through this alone.SUPPORT SERVICESbeyondblue aims to increase awareness of depression and anxiety and reduce stigma. Call 1300 22 4636, 24 hours / 7 days a week.Blue Knot Foundation Helpline (formerly ASCA Professional Support Line) provides help, information, support or referral for adult survivors of childhood trauma and abuse, their partners, family and friends, health professionals and anyone in the workplace working with people who have experienced childhood trauma and abuse. Call 1300 657 380, 9am-5pm AEST / 7 days a week.Butterfly Foundation's National Helpline, ED HOPE, is a free, confidential service that provides information, counselling and treatment referral for people with eating disorders, and body image and related issues. Call 1800 33 4673, 8am-midnight AEST / 7 days a week.eheadspace provides mental health and wellbeing support, information and services to young people aged 12 to 25 years and their families. Call 1800 650 890, 9am-1am AEST / 7 days a week.FriendLine supports anyone who's feeling lonely, needs to reconnect or just wants a chat. You can call them 7 days a week on 1800 424 287, or chat online with one of their trained volunteers. All conversations with FriendLine are anonymous.Kids Helpline is Australia’s only free 24/7 confidential and private counseling service specifically for children and young people aged 5 to 25. Call 1800 55 1800.Lifeline provides 24-hour crisis counselling, support groups and suicide prevention services. Call 13 11 14.MensLine Australia is a professional telephone and online support and information service for Australian men. Call 1300 78 99 78, 24 hours / 7 days a week.MindSpot is a free telephone and online service for people with stress, worry, anxiety, low mood or depression. It provides online assessment and treatment for anxiety and depression. MindSpot is not an emergency or instant response service. Call 1800 61 44 34 AEST, 8am-8pm (Mon-Fri), 8am-6pm (Sat).Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/hartzmann/clear-skyLicense co