Original podcast aired on 1st May 2019
**Quick content warning: we are going to be discussing mental-health and may discuss suicide and other content that may alarm you.**
This is the first time that either of us have produced a podcast which is pretty exciting… and terrifying.
This is a little, independant, self-produced podcast. We are sitting in our beautiful studio in Emilie’s house. We call it a studio but it’s actually the spare room… We can see my beautifully self-constructed felt mood board that I made out of leftover cardboard from the bed frame. So there is some context on where we are when we are talking to you.
Obviously being the first time that we have produced a podcast we will need your help getting this off the ground. if you could please rate and review as well as subscribing and sharing, we would really appreciate it!
We are also trying to get a little community up and running so we have a Facebook group called It’s not all in your head, and you can find us on Instagram @itsnotallinyourheadpod or email us at itsnotallinyourhead@outlook.com.
So you probably want to know what we are going to talk about in this podcast, what are we about, and who are these two crazies that that you are listening to? Ooo should we use the word crazies? It’s a bit on the nose but I think we have burnt the right…. When we say “crazies” we mean it as a term of endearment; we love crazy people, we are crazy people.
So what are we going to talk about? Look we are not experts and we are not professionals, but both of us have lived experience and a real passion for mental health, so I suppose we both want to leave no stone unturned in examining the past present and future of mental health.
And there are some pretty scary stats that maybe you’re not all aware of, but they are pretty daunting in the face of mental health problems, such as 1 in 5 Australians now experience mental illness but less than half of them are actually seeking treatment of any kind. We just aren’t having enough of these conversations. I think the chances are if you don’t have a mental illness someone close to you does, but how much do we know about it? It’s not something that’s regularly talked about so we just don’t know. Even us: we have mental illnesses and don’t know that much about it! There are also some pretty sobering statistics out there which might bring it a little closer to home; on average there a 36 suicide attempts every day in Australia including an average of 6 deaths, which is terrifying. That’s not just effecting those who have lost their battle with mental illness, that’s having an ongoing effect in families, friends and communities. Even the fact which I found very interesting: unemployment is 4% higher in those with mental illness. It’s having a tangible impact, it’s not all in your head. One of the scariest facts is that the World Health Organisation has predicted that by year 2030, depression will be the world’s biggest health issue, which is pretty messed up considering how bad pollution and global warming are.
It’s so sad, we live in such a great time and we are so lucky (not everyone obviously but definitely us) and blessed, and we wake up with a roof over our head. This is not something you can be vaccinated for or immunised against, this is something that is going to take a lot of effort and a lot of talking to treat which is why we’re here!
So how are we going to try and help? We will be investigating anything from specific mental illnesses, to specific treatments and self-care that you can use to improve your mental health…. we will scour the Earth for answers if we must!
So it’s probably a good time to let you know who you’re actually listening to because if you’re committing to us, an entire half hour of your time once a week will be taken up!
I’m Emilie, I’m 25 and married I’m a self professed theatre nerd, I’ve got 4 furkids, I work full-time, study part-time and when I go into supermarkets I always check where all the exits are before I go in.
OK this is going to sound a bit like a broken record; I’m Steph, I’m 25 years old and married… only have one for fur baby, I work full-time, most people see me as this bubbly outgoing person but the reality is I can often found crying on my kitchen floor.
We might move on now to why we have been inspired to do this podcast, why do we want to sit here rambling to each other and hopefully to some others half an hour each week? Part of it is wanting to contribute to the conversation around mental health, and feeling like we have come a long way in our society, but there is a lot more space to talk about it now. Any conversation that can be had about it and exploring more of it is a good thing to break down stigma. Being able to talk about it more and in a different way, have it been open conversation, just like if I said to you I fell over the other day and busted up my arm…. you wouldn’t tell me to shut up or not tell you about it!
Think about what you talk about at a cafe with a friend, this is how easy we want it to be to discuss mental health. If you ask someone how they are, how often will they say, even if they’re not ok: “I’m fine” because it’s a lot harder to actually talk when we’re not fine, and we don’t want to be seen as different or to be ostracized. There is a massive stigma around mental health, mental issues, and mental illness, and we want to unpack that a little bit, and help people know that they can talk about it.
We are also really excited to get some free therapy, because we’re going to be talking to some really knowledgeable professionals, as well as some inspiring people who have gone through some pretty horrific mental illnesses.We guess we are getting to the point where we do want to know a lot more about mental health and what we can do to be at little bit better, and improve our mental health. It’s a really good opportunity for us to develop ourselves and our mental health while trying to help others.
Both of us have had our own experiences, very different experiences with mental illness over the past year I think we’ve both come a long way and have a long way to go. If there is one person out there who is listening that we can help that’s our job well done.
If you ever need to reach out for support, please do so;
**And if you are ever in immediate danger please call 000, or the emergency number in your country**
Beyond Blue – 1300 22 46 36
https://www.beyondblue.org.au/
Lifeline – 13 11 14
Mind Australia
https://www.mindaustralia.org.au
Sane Australia
It's Not All In Your Head 