Meet Kirsten
I DONāT THINK I CAN SO IāM NOT GOING TO - BUT IT WASNāT ME SAYING THAT I COULDNāT, IT WAS MY DEPRESSION SAYING THAT I COULDNāTā¦
Kirsten, is 19, and has been diagnosed with depression for a while. A few months before her Skills for Life Award, she hit a particular low and ended up in hospital. She told us how previously she would let her depression get the better of her ā it would prevent her from doing things.
āBefore the course, I feel like I was a bit more complacent like āwell, I donāt think I can so Iām not going toā, but it wasnāt me saying that I couldnāt, it was my depression saying that I couldnāt. Itās like my mental health was like āoh youāre not going to be able to do this, youāre tired, youāre angry or you donāt want to do thisā and Iād just like give in and be like āok, Iām not going to do this ā I canāt do itā.ā
Completing physical and emotional challenges on the Award, has enabled her to come out the other side with a more positive mindset ā knowing that despite her depression, she can still achieve her goals.
āI was still depressed when I was on the course and Iām still depressed when Iām at home but I still managed to climb a mountain all while having depression. Although I had points where I struggled and I wasnāt coping so well, I still did it, so itās like although I have depression its not stopping me from doing things - I can still do things, I can push myself, Iām still not going to be in the best mindset, but I can still do it - itās not stopping me physically from doing things.