One Student Tells Us About Overcoming Her Struggles With the Help of Headspace

May Lyn opens up about her mental health and how she reached out for help.

This post is presented in partnership with Chatime.

This article contains discussion about mental health. If you or someone you know is having a difficult time, visit headspace.org.au to get resources or to access support.

In 2017, Chatime and headspace teamed up to highlight the importance of maintaining one's mental health, and to spread the word that help is available.

Like most students, May Lyn has dealt with her fair share of pressure and uncertainty, having made a number of university and course changes over the past few years.

She's now on track to complete her Master of Secondary Teaching (focusing on her passions: Japanese and ESL), after finally figuring out what she truly wanted to do.

And that's why she's smiling today, sipping on a peach green tea at Chatime George St, like any other typical 24-year-old.

However, as she told Student Edge, she wouldn't have been able to overcome the challenges of her journey without the help of non-profit youth mental health organisation headspace.

"I was experiencing high levels of distress around my ill mental health," May Lyn explains.

"At the time, I really had no idea what was going on, I was undiagnosed, and I wasn't seeking professional support for my mental health so I failed most of those units [in the degree]."

Of the 88,000+ young people who accessed a headspace centre during 2017 – 18, it was reported that 29 per cent received support for anxiety and 27 per cent received support for depression.

The largest group to use the service were young people aged 15 to 17.

Before seeking help herself, May Lyn first changed to a university closer to home so that if she experienced a panic attack, it would only take her a single 30-minute train ride to get home. Prior to that, it took her two hours and three train changes.

While this helped, it still didn't get to the core of the situation.

"I got sick of trying to hide why I wasn't graduating in time and hiding my marks from my parents and hiding how I was doing from all the people around me," May Lyn explains.

It's why she decided to seek help and she ended up being referred to headspace.

"People are really ready to talk about physical health all the time, things like starting a new diet or signing up to the gym, yet people don't think of mental health in the same way."

May Lyn remembers the prospect of visiting headspace as being daunting, but once she showed up to the headspace in South-Western Sydney, she was surprised by how welcoming the environment was.

"I think the thing that's different about headspace is that it feels like a less sterile environment [as opposed to presenting at a hospital]," May Lyn says.

"There are bean bags, there are soft toys... it's a lot easier to open up about what you're going through compared to going to a hospital and feeling like you're sick."

May Lyn points out that there's no magic solution for improving mental health, but she now feels better equipped to deal with any issues.

When she's not in a good headspace now, her reaction is to start talking to somebody rather than bottling things up.

"I get past that denial phase of thinking I can handle it and start seeking support," she says.

"That's when things do start getting better."

She's also found having a routine really helps her deal with anxiety, especially before going to bed. She'll brush her teeth and do her skincare routine, which helps to remind her body it's time to sleep.

It's not always easy to get motivated to go through these steps, May Lyn explains, but it's much like encouraging yourself to go for that walk you've set yourself to do.

It's not just yourself that you need to look out for, May Lyn reminds us: friends and family go through tough times too.

"Sometimes it's really hard to know how to start that conversation but starting [it] is always going to be better than just leaving it," May Lyn says.

"A lot of the time we think that we have to solve all of our friends' problems because we just want them to be better and to support them.

"[But, instead you could] tell that person 'Hey, I don't really know what to do but I want to be here for you so is there anything that you would like?'

"Sometimes you need to reach out to somebody to help you through challenging situations and that's totally fine."

If you or anyone you know needs help, support is available now. Call Lifeline on 131 114 or Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800 or visit headspace to find your nearest centre or to get support online.

Remember, Student Edge members get 2 for $9 regular fruity/milky iced teas at Chatime.

Header Image: Student Edge