Your Stories

Trigger warning: this piece discusses themes of depression, eating disorders, and suicidal ideation.  I always had a subconscious fierce belief that I was my mental illness. That my depression, eating...

The many stigmas around borderline personality disorder (aka BPD) can seem quite daunting. The lying stereotypes that make us seem like bad people, that we are portrayed as a negative....

*Thank you to Donna of Kia Maia for allowing us to share this piece. You can see more of her content here and her website here.*  After a rather confronting therapy session, I came to...

Sometimes, our bodies remember things our brains have locked away. Sometimes, we know we’re remembering something, but can’t quite bring the full memory to the forefront of our mind. This...

Trigger warning: this piece discusses themes of eating disorders and suicidality.  September is a hard month for me, and I know it is for many other people too. It’s a...

Trigger warning: this piece discusses themes of suicide.  Living with a mental health disability is a reality for many, but talking about it openly remains a challenge. I am committed...

*Thank you to Donna of Kia Maia for allowing us to share this piece. You can see more of her content here and her website here.*  “Cry in the thunderstorm or dance in the rain,”...

Paranoid schizophrenia and psychosis are conditions that many people misunderstand and stigmatise, often seeing them only through the lens of sensationalised media portrayals. As someone who lives with these mental...

If you’re anything like me, the thought of not doing anything is slightly daunting. I’m always on the go; I love learning, I love creating, I love being busy with...

YOU are NOT an attention seeker.  Just because you’re struggling and expressing that, doesn’t mean you’re ‘attention seeking.’ Do not believe a word of what those people say because it...

*Thank you to Donna of Kia Maia for allowing us to share this piece. You can see more of her content here and her website here.*  A spider, the embodiment of intergenerational trauma, spins an...

Eating disorders (ED) affect many people and can make us feel trapped in a cycle we can’t escape. It often feels hopeless, but I want to emphasise that full recovery...

I want you to do something for me. I want you to create a list — a list of reasons to live.  Anything can go on it! Big or small....

As I sit here with my legs in the sun, I can’t help but think about when it happened. A day that changed me forever.  When it happened, there was...

We all deal with comparison - yet know it doesn’t get us anywhere. However, for those of us with mental health challenges, these comparisons can tend to become somewhat constant...

*Thank you to Donna of Kia Maia for allowing us to share this piece. You can see more of her content here and her website here.*  If only it was as easy as clicking my...

Trigger warning: this piece discusses themes of anxiety, depression and OCD.  This is a story of my last two years. I’m not sharing it for sympathy but for strength. This...

Recently, I started studying creative writing aka my dream course. We begin each lesson with a free writing exercise. One gave me the prompt, ‘I am…’ and I had to...

Perfectionism is probably a label many of you can identify with. It can feel debilitating, sucking all the energy and life out of you. We can often feel stuck in...

The cult-classic film Jumanji was released in December of 1995. I was in the 5th grade at the time, and took an instant liking to the film. Little did I...

Have you ever looked at pictures of little you and thought about how you’ve let them down? Yeah, me too. I have a baby picture of me by my bed...

*Thank you to Donna of Kia Maia for allowing us to share this piece. You can see more of her content here and her website here.*  Imagine having mental health issues as being like a...

Life is like a clay pot lesson. I knead the clay to make sure there aren’t air bubbles and then place it on the pottery wheel, applying just the right...

Rest and slowing down have been foreign concepts to me - until recently. In our modern world, ‘hustle culture’ and the need to be constantly busy are highly valued. However,...

In my teenage years, I went to a counsellor for depression and anxiety. She looked at me and asked, “Where is the fun in your life?” I will not lie,...

When I was eighteen, I moved to university. It was a fresh start: a new home, a new environment, new classes, and new medical care. I joined the closest doctor’s...

Trigger warning: this piece discusses themes of assault and trauma.  My name is Zoë, I am 25 years young and I live in Auckland, New Zealand. Life has not dealt...

Seesaws and slides were so much fun back in my childhood days. Now that I have left those days behind and think about these types of equipment, in retrospect, I...

Trigger warning: this piece discusses themes of medical procedures, cancer, and suicide ideation.  On the 8th of May 2023, I noticed shadowing in my eye so I called my optometrist...

*Thank you to Donna of Kia Maia for allowing us to share this piece. You can see more of her content here and her website here.*  Butterflies and humans share a remarkable metaphorical resemblance. We...

Uncertainty can come in many shapes and forms. For me, this season of uncertainty started with losing my job. I had never loved a job before the way I loved...

Ever looked at the waves in the ocean? It’s the same source of water yet different in size. The clouds in the sky - spread like a blanket but leaving...

What sort of content do you consume on a daily basis? We are inundated with content of all kinds and from every possible medium. It can be wonderful, entertaining, overwhelming,...

Trigger warning: this piece discusses themes of suicidal ideation and suicide.  A trend has recently been circulating in the online recovery community, where people use photos to debunk the phrase,...

*Thank you to Donna of Kia Maia for allowing us to share this piece. You can see more of her content here and her website here.*   Words wield immense power, capable of both uplifting spirits...

Stepping outside your comfort zone is scary. When there’s uncertainty about something, it can make us have a flurry of thoughts and emotions. If you, like me, struggle with anxiety...

Intrusive thoughts can be very difficult to have. I know because I have OCD and a part of that means I deal with them, too. It’s like once they’re there,...

The alarm on my phone goes off as usual, alerting me that it’s time to get out of bed and get ready for work. I reach to turn it off...

*Thank you to Donna of Kia Maia for allowing us to share this piece. You can see more of her content here and her website here.*   Life is like a box of chocolates and our...

*Thank you to Sophie Gibson for sharing this piece. You can listen to her music here, more content here, and her short documentary here.* Trigger warning: this piece discusses themes of grief and suicide. My...

Hey! Did you know about World Autism Awareness Day? April 2nd is a day to celebrate those with autism. About 1 in 100 children are found to have autism and...

Trigger warning: this piece discusses themes of anorexia, eating disorders, self-harm, suicidality, and suicide.  Since I was four, I’ve struggled with anxiety. I became anxious when it came to social...

In the past six months, my physical health has deteriorated, and I’ve had to change some of my coping strategies. My favourites of going for a walk or dancing around...

Trigger warning: this piece discusses themes of suicide and suicidal ideation.  As a child, I thought surviving meant to simply live a little longer. That God gave you the chance...

Ever feel like you just aren't ready to face another day? Yeah, me too. The thought of it is overwhelming. It's easier just to sleep. Getting up can be the...

Trigger warning: this piece discusses themes of trauma.  Recently, I’ve been bombarded with traumatic memories I thought were left in the past. My mind hasn’t given me a break, and...

For the last couple of weeks, I haven’t been feeling very well. A change in medications has left me with some side effects that have really knocked me around. It’s...

*Thank you to Donna of Kia Maia for allowing us to share this piece. You can see more of her content here and her website here.*   I had not heard of resilience until...