Why i talk about mental health

I started my podcast in April 2021 because two teens in my local area both took their own lives in late 2020, both within a few weeks of each other. I started the podcast for them.

The fact that these two teens had passed just seemed to hang in the air. It was never directly addressed, or even spoken to us in school. No-one asked, ‘how are you doing today?’ – because everyone was afraid of bursting into tears again. Weeks later, I remember a discussion being had about how embarrassing it was to cry in front of others. It was an isolating emotion. To know others are dealing with the impact of losing a friend, a classmate – but to have no-one talk about it, let alone anything else.

I’ll be honest in admitting I barely knew these two people. That doesn’t mean I wasn’t devastated by their passing.

I vividly remember sitting in a bathroom cubicle on a particularly tough day to give myself a moment to process what I was feeling. On the door, was a poster for mental health helplines. The first thing I wondered was ‘why didn’t they call for help?’ And for a long time, this question bothered me.

Starting my podcast was never a question for me. There was never a moment of hesitation or paralysing fear. Even though my parents had no idea what a podcast even was, they supported my decision. We had no idea what would come of it. But that decision ultimately changed my life.

I started my podcast to encourage young people to talk about their emotions. Or, at the very least, know that we are all human, we all feel and process emotions differently. Having these conversations are often half the battle. I wanted to create a platform people could come to, in order to learn, feel heard, and tell their stories to inspire and help others.

At 16, naturally I felt extremely underqualified and unexperienced to be hosting a podcast about such topics – mental health, the LGBTQ+ community and anxiety to name a few. Now, looking back, nearly three years later, I realise it doesn’t matter what age you are. What matters is that you’re human. And because we are human, that makes us qualified to talk about how we are feeling. Listening to a qualified professionals speak about mental health is, of course, very important and beneficial. At the same time, relating to someone simply because you’ve shared a human emotion and connection is just as important and impactful. It proves that we are never alone.

It was never my aim to become a mental health advocate. I simply started speaking about something I was passionate about and interested in. The rest started from there.

Speaking about mental health is important to me are for numerous reasons. My friends have struggled with anxiety and depression. I, myself, have experienced panic attacks that made me realise just how powerful our thoughts are. People I know have taken their own lives. There is not enough funding in our health system to support those who need help. I have heard stories of people’s strength. About their darkest times and brightest moments. I have shared stories of hope.

I’ll never not talk about the mental health stigma as long as it is prevalent. Because if I’ve learned anything through my work, is that hope and beautiful things, people and indeed memories can arise from the darkest times. Because hope…hope is a very powerful emotion. And to watch people make the world that little bit better by the work that they do, the ways they speak out, the attention they bring to the issue…well, that definitely gives me hope for the future generation.