The words mental health send a bit of a shiver down my spine at the moment. It's great to see this issue is acknowledged and discussed more and more but the problem is increasing right now so the more we can share and help each other the better. Mental health support is real. It's out there ready to help you in the form of family, friends, websites, instagram, at the end of a telephone call or just in the way you treat yourself with nutrition, exercise and sleeeep. Always ask for help if you feel you need it. 

One Eighty Inc - One Eighty's vision is a future free of youth suicide. “Run by young people, for young people"
Beyond Blue Lifeline - Start The Conversation. Sign Up and Get Support. Get Support. Supporting Your Wellbeing.
Lifeline.org.au  - Crisis Support, Suicide prevention

Our minds are very strong and strange beasts that we need to train and control so we can enjoy life the way we intend too. Life is a challenge but it is meant for living and enjoying so maintaining our mind is a constant work in progress to be satisfied within ourselves.

A very good friend of ours took his own life recently in what I can only describe as an absolute shock to the system as we definitely didn’t expect it. People often say that’s always the way but I feel like every situation is different as anyone can be caught up in a negative feeling or situation which can potentially spiral into tragic consequences.

Having now lost a few mates in our local community of Byron Bay during the COVID it pisses me off to think how easily this may have been avoided but blaming something or someone is not the answer to this escalating problem in the current environment.

The pressure around social acceptance that creates anxiety and the need to fit social media typecast of social acceptance is way beyond reality so to try and control the beast now is somewhat futile.

The best we can do to help ourselves is to simply BE.
The best we can do to help our friends is simply listen and ACCEPT who they are. Nobody is perfect and that’s OK.
If you don’t feel perfect you are not the only one who feels that way. That’s OK.

Once we accept ourselves we can aim to be the version of ourselves that makes us more happy and content. You have the right to make the choices that are best for you. If you don’t want to be in a situation then you have a choice. Sometimes it's hard to see that choice and you may need to ask for help to choose a different path but there is always a choice. The choice is not death. The choice is LIVING.

Please ask for help. People will listen and help - it's human nature to help each other. Remember there is no problem or situation that someone hasn't had to deal with already.

Life is meant for Living.

Some days we feel shit and some days we feel good. It's one step at a time. Each moment is a step in time that passes. Overall what I’ve learned is that each moment be it good, bad, or ugly will and does pass to make way for the next experience or feeling. If you are feeling blue then try to accept that this feeling or these things do pass to make way for new experiences and feelings. Each feeling is a passing moment and so we need to remember that these darker feelings and emotions can and will pass to be brighter and lighter moments ad positive days. One foot after the other, each step is different and can change in a second.
Enjoy the challenge of each step.

Most of the time the simplest ways to switch your mood and feel good on the regular are these daily living rituals:-

SLEEP | MUSIC | EXERCISE | TALK to MATES | EAT HEALTHY | SMILE

• Get some Rest -a good nights sleep does wonders to revitalize your emotions and positive emotions
• Listen to your favourite music – it gives you energy and puts a smile on your dial
• Smile at a stranger - this is really fun 
• Exercise – walk, dance, run, surf, yoga – get those endorphins pumping
• Healthy food – energy comes from feeding your body good nutrition
• Talk about your feelings and emotions - talk to a friend, relative or even call lifeline. Speaking about your problems and feelings is really helpful and you should never be ashamed to talk about your feelings
• Share the load – don’t take it all on yourself as we all need help to do our job and get through life.
• Be there for your mates - ask are you ok or can i help i can i listen
• Stare at the sea or lake or simply a glass of water - water is very calming

It’s a big wide world out there that can be very intimidating so when you feel lonely and lost please remember there are people out there that can help, listen and support you. Each and every single one of us all have problems and that’s OK.

The following are some friends and apps that we like to tap into when feeling down or cornered or lost.

We recommend these to help you if feeling blue or you need help to understand your thoughts. You can simply just call and chat to let your feeling be heard too

One Eighty Inc - One Eighty's vision is a future free of youth suicide. “Run by young people, for young people"
Beyond Blue Lifeline - Start The Conversation. Sign Up and Get Support. Get Support. Supporting Your Wellbeing.
Lifeline.org.au  - Crisis Support, Suicide prevention

We started the Childe Live Lounge on Thursday evenings to provide positive support to mental health during COVID lockdown to provide a light, fun, happy experience via live music performance through Instagram. We were all going a little stir crazy and mental health was setting in due to overthinking, financial stress, social anxiety, lack of human interaction, and confined spaces with people you found uncomfortable to be around. These are all totally normal feelings but also feelings we like to have control over so we don't get overwhelmed.

Listening to live, honest, music brings good vibes and helps to overcome negative or overwhelming feelings so we wanted to enable musicians and artists to share that experience in the easiest way we could with you.
Via our brand platform, we enabled the community to come together and enjoy the tunes.
The response we’ve had has been very inspiring and people want to see it continue beyond lockdown so we decided to keep it rolling once a month or whenever it comes together on any given Thursday. No pressure
We hope you enjoy the show and as a brand, with a voice and platform, we intend to do much more to help you, our friends, and the local communities with events and actions that provide fun and positive inspirational energy to create positive mental health patterns.