LIVIN Everest Youth Suicide Prevention Fundraise

Youth Suicide Prevention Fundraiser 

www.livineverest.com

So... why on gods earth
Why on gods earth would somebody with no high altitude trekking experience decide to climb one of the most physically demanding peaks in the highest mountain range on the planet? With no rock climbing or technical climbing experience... with very little trekking experience... with no love for heights.  This is why...

Mental illness is being recognised more and more each year with understanding and empathy, yet it's still somewhat taboo in some ways, and still carries the stigma that if you speak out, you're weak... less of a person... unstable... or "just a little bit sad".  And because of this stigma, many people, young, old, and from all walks of life, hide their darkness away deep in their minds hoping that 'things will get better', or hoping that nobody will notice that actually, they aren't ok, and yes, they do need a helping hand.  For some of us, Depression, Anxiety, Bipolar Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other mental illness' can be so debilitating, that in the end... something has to give. There isn't a simple, quick fix for mental illness.  There isn't a 'magic pill' that will make it go away.  Sure, there are medications and techniques out there that will help to control things, but essentially, we have to learn how to how live with it to a certain degree, and we have to try and figure out what works best for us in order to be able to self-manage.  But first and foremost - there has to be a realisation, an admittance, and an acceptance that there is something going on that needs ministering to, and that sometimes, you just can't deal with things all on your own.  And this is where a lot of people that suffer with mental illness struggle.

It isn't weak to speak! It isn't because you are less of a person! It isn't because you're crazy.... and you are certainly not alone.  Needing support and help to get you through some of the most challenging days of your life can be a lifeline.  Everybody needs help sometimes... and sometimes we need it more than ever, before we fall into that 'Alice in Wonderland' rabbit hole that becomes harder and harder to climb out from. 

I've been to that place.  It's not fun.  This last 12 months has been the toughest time of my life. I hit a point that I never thought I'd ever hit. I lost a lot of things that meant everything to me... my wife, my job, amongst some other things I held dear to me... and now I'm having to claw my way back to the surface.  And the only way that I've been able to begin the journey back, is by finally recognising that I need a helping hand, and accepting that I will have to work damn hard to get to where I want to be.  I'm not going to get back what I've lost, but there's a blank canvass awaiting that hopefully I can paint a new path on.

So there it is... that's my reason. I've decided to put myself completely out of my comfort zone, starting with writing this page which has been extremely confronting... facing some fears of mine, and by challenging myself to do something that will no doubt be the most physically demanding thing that I will probably ever do in my life. I figure that if I can get through both the most mentally and physically challenging times of my life, then surely I can get through anything... right? And so can you. Determination, realisation, resiliance and resolve... some of the ingredients that are needed to help you rise to the surface again...

#itaintweaktospeak

www.livin.org