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Take a breath (during the COVID-19 crisis)
Words by Georgie 28 VIC Never has there been a greater need for hugs, ironically in a time where no hugs are allowed! We have well and truly passed the point of: “shit- this is actually really bad”. ‘Uncertainty’, ‘unprecedented’, ‘panic’, ‘crisis’, ‘a crazy dream’ – are all things we’re reading on a daily basis…
Driving through Fear
Words by Anonymous When I heard the words ‘eating disorder’ it felt like a slap in the face. ‘If you don’t start eating more you will end up in hospital.’ Processing these words shook me to my core. According to the Butterfly Foundation, 9% of the Australian population will experience an eating disorder in their lifetime,…
Herpes? Welcome to the Club!
Words by Alysha, 24 QLD Hey, so, you’ve just been diagnosed with herpes. Welcome to the club! Firstly, it isn’t the end of the world, or your sex life, even though I know it feels that way. In Australia alone, 1 in 8 people are living with herpes. This makes it one of the most…
The ‘F’ Word
Words by Jess, 22 NSW When you look in the mirror, I wonder what you see. Why do you breathe in so hard, grab your skin and look displeased? I hear you joke about wanting to be smaller, and that you need to ‘quit the cake’. But it doesn’t seem that funny, to project on…
Why It’s Important to Talk About Mental Health
Words by Carly, 24 QLD When I was growing up, my parents were sad. And I was sad too. As I got older, I believed more and more that being unhappy was normal. If my parents experienced life in that way, surely it was the same for everyone else, right? They never told me anything…
Same Same but Different
Words by Evelyn, 27 VIC I was so excited by the prospect of my impending hysterectomy that a week out from the surgery I threw a “Farewell-Uterus” Party. I spent a day making a giant papier-mâché uterus piñata, covered it in pink and white frilled tissue paper, and filled it with red lollies: jaffas, raspberries,…
I Won’t Forget
Words by Rachel, 22 QLD 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage. The amount of women suffering in silence is unbearable to think about. In 2017 I suffered a loss. I was pregnant. My anxiety was high, hormones flooded my body. It was perfect… until it wasn’t. We had gone to many ultrasounds. Our boy…
The Sliding Scale of Mental Health
Words by Ari, 27 VIC Mental wellness exists on a spectrum, not an all-or-nothing dichotomy of ‘ill’ or ‘healthy’. At the moment I’m floating somewhere in the middle, and that’s my normal. I have anxiety. Using the word ‘have’ is an interesting experience for me, after recently coming to terms with the reality that despite…
Alabama
Words by Nicole, 25 VIC My poem ‘Alabama’ was inspired by the strict abortion laws that have recently been passed in a number of states in the US. I wrote this poem as a conversational piece for people in the community to reflect on and discuss the current state of pro-choice and gender equality in our…
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Embrace Mediocrity
Words by Anika 25, NSW When I was nine, my primary school careers counsellor told me the world was my oyster. I could read at a high-school level, I was precocious, and adults loved me. “What am I gonna do?!” I asked (demanded), pushing my stringy hair back at the roots, thrilled to discover I…
