Mental health is a strikingly taboo topic. For such an important issue, it seems to belong in the category of highly misunderstood issues. As with discussing any important topic, talking about mental health issues remains controversial at best and degrading at worst. Here in Australia, October is Mental Health Month. I’ve been thinking about the challenges and triumphs with mental health I’ve tackled over the past few months and decided to write a post about how important this journey has been.
Studying abroad is a shock. A fantastic, life-changing shock that could leave even the most well-adjusted people wide-eyed and turning in circles. There are chances and risks that you take on when going abroad. Preparing to go sends your heartbeat sky-high because nothing is guaranteed. You simply don’t know anyone around you or where you’re going or the millions of complications that come with adjusting to normal life on your own in a country you’ve never been to before. As you begin to figure things out, you realize that one of the best parts of studying abroad, specifically at UNSW is the variety of people you meet. The University I’m attending emphasizes being a global university with a diverse group of people who all have different paths and stories. Many of these people are international students anywhere from Burma to Cambodia to Venezuela that are also in a foreign universe and want to find people they enjoy and can spend time with. There are times that I realize without the people I’ve met and friends I’ve made, studying abroad wouldn’t have had nearly the same impact on my life. At the end of the day, when everything is unfamiliar, you learn to essentially trust strangers and yourself more than anything. When you don’t feel mentally stable, then that strong relationship with yourself and with these people can save you.
The problem with not talking about mental health is that it enforces the idea that it is not worth talking about. At the same time, so many people, including myself, struggle with maintaining a healthy mind. We tend to distance ourselves from confronting mental health issues because it’s difficult on top of every other responsibility we have. Seeing that mental health initiatives are being taken in Australia has given me a sense of comfort. Dedicating the month to October can spark the idea that mental health is a priority and not something to sweep under the rug indefinitely. I’ve stayed quite busy in my time here, whether it’s trying kangaroo with my closest mates or travelling places to create stories for the grand-kids. The constant movement can be draining. Two months in, you will encounter a specific moment where you look out of your first floor bedroom window reflecting on the fact that you’ve eaten too many Tim Tams because your 3 midterms are stressing you out and you want to explore as much as possible and you’re running out of time in Australia and you miss your dog and that restaurant you’d always go to at 2 am back home after writing an essay all day. For your own sake, you have to let yourself breathe. Studying abroad is exciting and distracting. Since you’re surrounded by many people who want to travel around, stay entertained, and pile on the experiences, it’s easy to lose track of time and forget your responsibilities for a bit. Stress and negative emotions don’t disappear forever, and it can become particularly difficult when confronting these issues abroad.
For everyone, particularly those who struggle with mental illness, preparing to study abroad ought to go like this: “Luggage, check. Passport, check. Proper preparations for the stability of my mental state throughout a prolonged stay in a completely foreign place, check.” It has a nice ring to it, I think.
I’ve said for a long time now that I think (nearly) everyone should probably see a therapist in general. While saying this, I also acknowledge that there exist large barriers to seeing a therapist abroad. It could be that counseling is expensive, because there’s just not enough time in the day, or your host country/University may not realize the importance of mental health resources. Counseling is not my preferred avenue for mental stability (shout out to my wonderful yoga instructor whose soothing Aussie accent has kept me sane), but knowing my resources at my University in case of particular difficulty is something crucial to inform myself on. I can’t emphasize this enough, but having some kind of rock, whether it be getting a SIM card to call family and friends when you don’t feel like getting out of bed to setting a daily reminder of gratitude for the blessing of being able to study abroad and for the accomplishments you’ve made. Accessibility to mental escapes are particularly important, and the power of slowing down should not be underestimated. Do what you need to do to feel okay wherever you are. Take naps, watch Netflix, and listen to music. Rinse and repeat.
All in all, there isn’t a magical solution to a healthy mind and that’s alright. Take care of yourself as a priority when you’re abroad and everything will be just fine.
Image from: https://wayahead.org.au/well-being/campaigns/mental-health-month-nsw.html
