The following content may contain information about depression, anxiety, self-harm and/or other related material which may be triggering. Reader discretion is advised.
Story Submission by Ben, Age 23
My life once was quite normal and I felt like I was making a good progress in life then things started getting rough.
I lost the job I loved under unfortunate circumstances, however I didn’t let this affect me and proceeded to go to university and get a part-time job while I searched for my next career move. Twelve months later, I ended up having a nervous breakdown at work. I went to the hospital and got misdiagnosed by a doctor who put me on a high dose of medication that gave me severe anxiety.
Four months after being weaned off the medication I started focusing on getting myself back to normal, but something stopped me right in my tracks. I went to my brothers house one day to see how he was going and I found him lying down in his room. I tried to revive him but it was too late; he died from a rare condition of epilepsy.
I was at my lowest point at this stage and felt like there was no way I’d recover from this traumatic event. I let my body and mind go into recovery mode in order to cope with the ordeal. It all stuck again, this time my mum having a massive heart attack, from which she is lucky to be alive, and now being diagnosed with inoperable cancer.
Although these hurdles have been thrown at me I knew that I’d have to help myself overcome them. That’s when I found cars. I bought one as a small project, which was completed earlier this year and then sold, and I recently purchased one of my dream cars. I also currently run a local car club with some fantastic members and we are all like a big family.
Moral of my story: life can be like engines. We put time and effort into making it better and sometimes unexpected situations we don’t see can happen. All we can do is learn from those problems and fix them, as experience from these problems helps us to not only understand it better but makes us better.
If you or someone you know is struggling with depression, anxiety, self-harm or addiction, please reach out. Call 13 11 14 for Lifeline’s 24hr Telephone Crisis Support or contact a mental health professional. If you are looking for other mental health resources, browse our Find Help page.
If a life is in danger call 000 immediately.
