You mentioned you used to have a really hard time back then, did you want to talk about it?

It wasn’t one thing that made things feel hard. It was more of a combination of things that happened at the same time, which just made life feel really difficult.

What kind of things?

I started having thoughts of suicide and death when I was nine, but the thoughts came and went depending on what else was going on around me.

The last time that I had these thoughts, I was my mother’s carer, we were experiencing financial problems, I had lost friends and didn’t have much support from other people.

That sounds really tough. How did you feel?

I felt rejected and alone, I was struggling to sleep and I had depression.

It sounds like you were under a lot of pressure, how did you make it through?

I started to engage in therapy and used online support services, which are helpful.

They helped me figure out my problems and start working on them. The medication helped with my depression. Getting more sleep also helped my mood.

What else do you do to look after yourself?

A few different things help in different ways. I like connecting with people online, going to uni and riding my bike.

Creating stuff and woodwork made me feel better.

I’m really glad to hear that things feel better for you now.