I come from a culture where growing up, the norm was often to ‘suck it up’ and carry on as there were people who had it much worse than I did. The biggest barrier was having adequate mental health support services that would cater to individuals from all socio-economic backgrounds. For me, it has been a privilege to be able to have access to services and resources that I could only dream of back home. Anxiety and depression sort of came as a package as I struggled to cope with homesickness and isolation due to COVID-19, but I was able to get support from my University's wellbeing office wherein I was provided referral pathways as I was relatively unaware. It took a while to find a culturally respectful and compatible mental health practioner, but that has been a big protective factor for me to be able to support my recovery. I think stigma and discrimination are something individuals with mental ill health deal with throughout the world- however I feel grateful to be in a developed progressive country where there is more awareness and acceptance.
