Breaking the Mould: Mental Health from a Migrant Perspective.
By Joseph He/Him | Meanjin
I have a story to tell.
Recalling my first experience encountering my own struggles with mental health, I remember graduating from high school and being on top of the world. I was making plans to celebrate, and all of a sudden, out of nowhere, I felt the weight of twelve years of pent-up emotion burst upon me.
Not knowing what to do or where to turn, I grabbed the closest set of my parent’s car keys and jumped in the car. I sped off down the road, and drove for hours and hours. Finally, after a long time, I found a nearby park and sat down by the lake for what seemed like an eternity.
For many young people my age, mental health challenges are something that we all have to live with. Despite the best intentions of our friends, peers or even our parents, it is difficult to try and “fix” what seems like a deeper part of us that is impossible to suppress.
In the midst of my confusion, I stumbled into a counsellor’s office one day, realising that my own cultural differences added an extra layer of complexity to my mental health challenges. The counsellor that day was able to relate to what I was feeling, mentioning that mental health is something that cannot be explained away; it is something that we can all deal with, in our own way. For some, it may be expressing emotion, like an outburst or an explosion; for others, we let it fester and boil up inside, causing what can best be described as an implosion. The latter is far worse, my counsellor explained – and it is better to let out emotion rather than keep it pent up inside.
Coming from a South Indian background, my community is notorious for brushing aside emotion and focusing on education. Yet, when it comes to the area of mental health, we fail to educate ourselves to the reality that many are suffering in silence; especially young people.
More than half of India’s population of 1.4 billion people are under the age of 25, and many, when migrating to Western countries, often travel alone. Being in a new environment outside of their cultural upbringing can bring its challenges, including those associated with mental health concerns.
Yet, the key to breaking the silence surrounding mental health challenges is found by sharing your story. Reflecting on this, being a young person growing up in a culturally diverse household, struggling with mental health challenges can be isolating. However, many are beginning to speak up and find solace in the fact that youth all over the country are dealing with similar struggles.
Knowing this can be the first step in finding a community that cares and is willing to listen, to hear, and to understand how to take the next step in the journey towards managing mental health better.
So, for those willing to break the mould, make your story heard. It might help you, and it also may just be the story someone else needs to hear too.
The views expressed in AYAC’S youth blog are personal and and not an endorsement of AYAC; we value and encourage the diverse perspectives of young people.