I first realised that I was experiencing mental illness when I was constantly feeling like everything I did wasn’t good enough.

Initially, I found it overwhelming to find support because I felt like I had to take every step to getting better at once.

In hindsight, every step counts, no matter how small it might feel, and each step could be taken in my own time, at my own pace.
The first step I took was reaching out to a few close friends. After a few weeks I decided that I did not want to feel like a burden them anymore, although they assured me I wasn’t, so I chose to seek professional support through the school psychologist.
I was first diagnosed with Depression and Generalised Anxiety Disorder when I was 15 years old in Year 10. A year later, I was also diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
I felt relieved when I got my initial diagnosis because I felt as though I could finally work towards managing my mental health. However, I was angry and frustrated after my diagnosis of PTSD. I had been working hard for a year getting my depression and anxiety under control and I was making progress, so it felt like a step backwards.
My health professionals recommended for me to do behavioural therapy which involved keeping a journal to help work through my anxious feelings and help change my thought processes. For me personally, journaling wasn’t useful because it seemed to make the problems larger in my head.

What really worked was when I started to meditate.
Often,I was caught up in my head and meditating gave me a chance to not focus on anything but what was happening right then and there to be present.