Tales from a Bruised Mind

I’ve spent the last four years writing about my experiences in my book, A Ballad from a Bruised Brain.

But I needed a way to reach more people and share my story and message.

So, I guess the answer to the above question comes down to two distinct parts – the shocking statistics and what I’ve personally experienced.

In 2023, the Australian Government released a mental health study and found that 42.9 percent of people between the age of 16-85 years of age had suffered from a mental disorder at some point in their life. That’s not far off being half of our population.

Also, 38.8 percent of young people aged from 16-24 years old had experienced a 12 month mental disorder.

Young people, especially young men, struggle a lot with their mental health. That’s fact.

And to add to the problem, the COVID-19 pandemic affected so many of us.

Not only did it have physical impacts on people’s lives, and we lost many, many great people, but the lack of social interactions and sustained periods of isolation had a big role in making people feel shit for the long term.

I was recovering from my first episode of significant mental trauma when COVID-19 hit Australia, and while I was fortunate that COVID-19 did not affect my social circles and family, I still struggled.

Now, post COVID, the world is a very different place. It’s tough, especially for young people trying to find their foothold on life. It’s stressful and worrisome and uncomfortable.

So with that all in mind, along with my own lived experience, I’ve made the decision to invest more of my spare time into this very website, a website about me to help others.

…

It’d be silly of me not to set some goals, so here are five key pillars I want to try my best to stand by:

1. Change at least one person’s perspective on mental health
2. Save a life by offering guidance and support for mental illness
3. Tell my story in a way that inspires change in a raw, yet honest way
4. Positively shift existing attitudes about mental illness
5. Create a impactful mental health community

So what exactly does this mean?

Perspective. Guidance. Inspiring. Positivity. Impactful.

Perspective is ever-changing about mental health. We are getting much better at it, but we still have a long way to go. Perspective is about awareness and how we view mental health. Positive perspectives can make a big difference.

Guidance is about finding and helping the people who struggle and doing whatever we can to make those individual’s lives better by guiding them on a positive and supportive journey.

Inspiring is about pushing those with lived experience into the spotlight and sharing unique perspectives of their journeys to benefit others.

Positivity is about creating a comforting and respectful environment whenever possible, no matter the time or place.

Impactful is about making a difference in the area of mental health. This could be done by helping a friend in need or speaking up in difficult situations, or something as simple as checking in with professional help if you need to.

I hope that these pillars can be something I can always come back to and that will make a difference in our society.

A lot of good work is currently happening right now in Australia for those who struggle with their mental health.

But there is always more to be done.

So I hope this little corner of the internet can be a place of comfort and positivity for whoever happens to visit.

Love,

Zak