• Avoid terms like ‘crazy’, ‘psycho’, ‘insane’, ‘lunatic’, ‘mad’, and others that could perpetuate negative stereotypes of how mental ill-health presents or discourage people from reaching out and seeking treatments. here

• Avoid labelling a person by their mental health diagnosis or challenges that defines someone by their lived experience. Instead of using terms like ‘schizophrenic’, ‘anorexic’ or ‘alcoholic’ we would look to use more neutral phrases such as ‘has a diagnosis of schizophrenia’, ‘is being treated for anorexia’, or ‘has experiences with problematic substance use’.

• Some people may choose to self-identify with some of these which is still valid if that’s how you identify, but in the context of sharing online, it is best to stick to the neutral terms suggested.

• This may differ when speaking of experiences of neurodiversity where identity-first language is preferred in certain communities. In these instances terms like ‘autistic’ or ‘deaf’ are preferred.

Here are some prompts to help you answer the questions, feel free to go into as little or as much detail as you like:

These are some prompts to help you answer these questions. Feel free to go into as little or as much detail as you like.

Start by introducing yourself and some of the things that you love to do.

• Hi! I am a 21-year-old student studying a Bachelor’s Degree at ACU.

• I love hanging out with my friends playing board games and am always down for some dessert.

• I love being active, so you’ll always find me on the netball courts, going for a run, or hiking in the national park.

Describe a time when you felt that you were at your lowest or struggling - how did you overcome this challenge? 

• A time when I felt low was during high school. I was experiencing anxiety and didn’t have the information or tools to help navigate it. 

• I didn’t know how to be vulnerable with friends, so I bottled up how I was feeling. I was afraid of being judged and viewed differently.

• It got to the point where I felt like I couldn’t cope, so I reached out to some teachers at school, and they linked me up with different services like Headspace.

What are some key takeaways to share with others and the lessons you have learned that can provide hope for someone else?

• I have created a solid support network of people who I can rely on.

• I do things to take care of my well-being, like journaling and being active.

• While I still experience all of the same anxious thoughts and behaviours that I had while I was at school, I know how to control them and understand that they do not define who I am.