This weekend the GIANTS will Shine a Light on Mental Health through our Match Day Community Partner LIVIN. The GIANTS are proud to welcome LIVIN as a Community Partner for the first time in 2017.
LIVIN was founded to wipe out the stigma associated with mental illness and raise awareness for suicide prevention. The round 15 clash will be a lighting spectacle in and around Spotless Stadium with glow sticks for the first 5000 attendees, LED hula hoopers and various other lighting activations around the ground.
The following blog post was written by AFLW player and LIVIN ambassador Emma Swanson.
I’ll be the first one to say that I was contributing to the stigma around mental health… “Depressed? no way not me, I’m too strong for that” or “I can’t cry or breakdown because that’s a sign of weakness, I’ll just bottle it up, push through, no one needs to hear my problems” … Sound familiar?
As a kid growing up depression and anxiety, mental health, was never really spoken about. It was actually never spoken about. As I got older I began to hear and read more about it, and at that stage there was a strong stigma surrounding it, I guess I just fit in with the grain and adopted that stigma too.
It was by accident that I came across a mental health article a few years ago, something in the article seriously caught my attention… ‘mental health is an illness, it’s not a choice, if someone broke their arm, they get it treated, it’s not a choice to have a broken arm – mental health is an illness that’s no different, it’s not a choice' … light bulb moment.
The article opened my eyes to something I had never thought about, let alone thought how my mind set in the past might have stopped me helping others experiencing a dark time. How was I a leader of sporting teams, a teammate and a best friend when I had an inaccurate understanding of what some people might be experiencing in their personal lives.
LIVIN is about speaking up, and smashing the stigma around mental health. I guess I feel I need to fix all the years I thought mental health illness was weak and I was too strong to speak about any issues I have. I’m excited to be an ambassador for LIVIN, if I can just help one person change their mindset when it comes to the words ‘mental health’ I would be happy. But I’m also excited to be able to increase my knowledge around mental health and help my friends and teammates when they need.
If you or anyone else you know is struggling with their mental health or for when to seek help, see this link: http://livin.org.au/information/getting-help or call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Be there as the GIANTS take on Geelong in a blockbuster Saturday night clash at Spotless Stadium, CLICK HERE to get your tickets for the game now as we Shine a Light on Mental Health.
