My dream has always been to be an artist and my passion for creativity and gaming helped me through a tough time in my life. Now that I’m in a much better place, I’m going after a career in the design side of the video gaming industry.
Flourish Australia always encouraged me to pursue my artistic aspirations. When I first connected with them, the COVID-19 pandemic had shut the world down and I was struggling with loneliness and depression. At their day-to-day living centre, I quickly connected with new friends and got involved in all sorts of group activities.
I have ADHD and my brain likes to switch between different tasks, so I see myself creating concept art and characters, or worldbuilding. I’ve gotten so much out of the one-to-one support Flourish Australia provide. It’s helped to build my confidence for figuring out these life goals.
With their support, I’ve taken steps to complete some relevant courses at TAFE and dabbled in programming a few little games myself. Jobs in this field are in high demand so I’m going to continue with the studies to be better qualified.
They’ve connected me with a number of local support services for young people which gets me out of my apartment and interacting with others instead of isolating.
While being an artist is still my dream, I’m considering getting into Peer Work now that I’ve seen how powerful it can be for inspiring people like myself to transform their lives.
I’ve learned that living with people who drain my energy can make life harder than it needs to be, so I’ve found a flat of my own through Platform Youth. It’s given me space to learn to sit with my waves of overwhelm when they hit and break a cycle of starting out strong with a job and social life, only to crash out really hard and drop everything under pressure. I used to be so critical of myself which only made things worse. Now I challenge the negative self-talk and stay grounded.
Adopting a cat from RSPCA gave me responsibilities to get out of bed for each day when I was struggling with my mental health. The daily structure of caring for a pet, and the affection and cuddles she gives, made the lows of depression more bearable.
I still have moments where everything feels too much and I have no motivation, but they don’t hit as hard or last as long.
Being in crowds made me anxious in the past, for fear of being judged, due to low self-esteem. People who don’t understand depression can sometimes treat me like I’m lazy, making excuses, or just want attention. Now, I challenge myself to get out of the house more and interact to boost my mood. I’ve started seeing a psychologist for a healthy outlook and lately, I’ve been participating in a Safe Space suicide prevention group.
With the help of Flourish Australia I plan to apply for NDIS to expand my options for tailored supports. If you’re suffering in silence, don’t feel you’re a burden or that support is only for others in greater need. Reach out for help! Tapping into the right support for you will be life changing.
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For more information, contact us on 1300 779 270 or make an enquiry now.
