The SANE Blog

‘If we are truly to raise community understanding, we have some difficult dialogues ahead,’ Flick Grey told a room of people at a conference back in 2011.

She was speaking about her own experience as a trauma survivor but really she was also encouraging those in the room to not accept the status quo.

‘I’m not going to tell you a story about how I was suffering immensely...behaving difficultly... and then got treatment and the help and support I need,’ Flick says in her speech.

It’s something that Flick has strove for since she received a diagnosis of BPD in 2005 that she says ‘politicized’ her.

'It's hard, they give you the option of Christmas day off, but thats no good to people who are flying in and out of there from places like Brisbane, Townsville and Tassie,' says Chris a FIFO mine supervisor with more than 30 years experience.

'What usually happens is a guy who is of an older or younger age will try and fill-in for a guy with two or three kids. But if that doesn't work-out, unfortunately you have to work, as mines don't close for the whole Christmas period.'

Chris and Laurel have been married for over 30 years, balancing family life while working out of fly-in fly-out (FIFO) mining sites. SANE's Mindful Employer asked them to share their journey and provide their tips for coping as a FIFO family.

In June 2008 I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder Type I and the world as I knew it changed forever.

The prognosis wasn’t good. I was advised I would have to spend the rest of my life on medication, would require regular visits to psychiatrists and psychologists, and my chance of being employed full time was slim to none.

Looking back I had all the classic signs – highly emotional, dysfunctional relationships, excessive spending, promiscuous and drug abuse – but I managed, although I did self medicate.

Anger is a normal human emotion we all experience from time to time - when things don't go the way we want, or people don't behave the way we think they should. Contrary to popular belief, it is not necessarily wrong or bad to be angry. Rather, it’s what we choose to do with that anger that determines whether it becomes a problem in our lives.

The more time and effort you put into something the better the outcome, right? This is a scenario we often face at work when confronted by a growing inbox or a long ‘to-do list’.

But is this the best way to go about work? Do increased working hours equate to better workplace outcomes? And what is the effect on our overall mental health?

We talk about it casually, and you’ve no doubt seen Hollywood’s take on it – One Flew Over the Cookoo’s Nest, Good Will Hunting, and Silver Linings Playbook to name just a few. But what is psychology? And how does it relate to us?

Whether you are living with a mental illness, or caring for someone who does, making the decision to actively engage in 'self-care' is important.

Self-care includes any intentional actions you can take towards caring for your own physical, mental and emotional health. These actions are often quite simple, and need not take up a lot of time, or cost a lot of money.

We are all different, so take time to reflect on what works for you.

Mental Health Week brings our own wellbeing into focus. So it’s a good time to think about what you can do if you have concerns about your own mental health, or that of a family member or a friend.

It takes courage to take the first step. You may have noticed changes in your own mood, or observed worrying behaviours in someone else. Either way it could be time to acknowledge that there is problem and reach out for help.

People with severe mental illness are likely to die up to 25 years earlier than the general population from conditions such as respiratory or cardiovascular diseases caused by obesity, smoking, and a lack of exercise.

SANE spoke to Nick and Kathy regarding their experience of Peer Health Coaching and how it helps people living with a mental illness to improve their mind and body.