As someone who has suffered through PTSD, I didn’t want to talk about it. I didn’t want to talk about my feelings or more accurately, my lack of feelings at all.
Here’s the thing, though, the ability to talk about it with someone I trusted was a vital part of my recovery.
Bringing it out into the open was the thing I avoided the longest and the thing that helped the most.
Reaching that point took good people caring enough to ask hard and simple questions: are you okay? You are not who you were and you don’t seem okay.
The focus of the official RUOK campaign for 2023 is ‘I’m here to hear.’ And we truly are. If you could use a friendly voice on the end of the blower, please feel free to give any of us here at Churchill a bell on 1300 793 002.
You can also give Lifeline a call on: 13 11 14 (they’re the pros!)
The Danger of Being a People Pleaser…
Listening to this episode of The Imperfects podcast, I was struck by how raw and honest TV personality Grant Denyer was about his mental health challenges.
I remembered him as that super extroverted pocket rocket weather man from Channel 7’s long running breakfast show Sunrise.
I was surprised to hear that since childhood he has suffered from chronically low self esteem, and that his coping mechanism was to be an uber people pleaser.
Something that almost killed him.
It’s an aspect we don’t immediately connect with mental health issues, but when we give more than we’ve got to give and don’t prioritise our own health we run the tank dry.
Then we’re no good to anyone.
Turns the concept of ‘selfishness’ on its head doesn’t it.
Truth is, we’ve all got to be selfish. We’ve got to make sure we’re taking care of ourselves first, putting our own oxygen mask on first… Once we’re good, we can help others.
It’s a powerful episode. You’ll hear grown blokes cry, and admit no, I’m not ok. And you’ll also hear them complimenting each other.
These are all things that should be normal and part of our everyday conversations, but the truth of the matter is they’re not. And this just ends up causing us pain.
Please talk to someone if you are not ok.
These conversations are life saving so that’s why we need to keep having them – even when we really don’t want to.
So make that call, have that chat, or just be there for someone struggling.
I’m here if you ever need a chat.
Randall
Co-Founder & Director
Churchill Education
