0°C | Saturday October 11, 2025 
By Living to Thrive’s Chuck Anderson
This month is special to me (and many others) as it is National Mental Health Month. National Mental Health Month is a Mental Health Foundation Australia (MHFA) initiative celebrated across Australia to support and raise awareness of mental health.
I put a fair bit of thought into what I wanted to write about and share with you. I figured I could give you the standard statistics on mental health disorders in Australia which is what many organisations and newspapers often do. That said, I do not believe that sharing such stats will create actual meaningful change, inspire others to share their stories or allow me to take full advantage of this powerful platform that I am incredibly fortunate to have. In my experience, the most effective way to create a meaningful and authentic narrative and inspire change is through sharing lived experiences.
As some of you already know, I am speaking as someone with a background in psychology as well as decades of lived experience with what it means to struggle and thrive with several clinically diagnosed and treated psychological disorders (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder and General Anxiety Disorder).
I wake up every day feeling the symptoms of all three of my disorders with some days being more intense than others. My anxiety is the one that is ever-present often without rhyme or reason. Within a few minutes of waking up, I start to feel this immediate surge of anxiety that resurfaces without a conscious trigger in sight. I take prescribed medication for all three of my disorders first thing in the morning and each brings significant positive changes in how I think, feel and function every day.
I very clearly remember the first time that I realised that my feelings of anxiousness were no longer the normal acute experiences that we all have. At the time, I was working full-time, working on my psychology degree while having ADHD and trying to balance the day-to-day family and general life challenges that we all face.
I recall walking to the gym first thing in the morning feeling heaviness in my chest. My heart rate was higher than normal with a feeling of worry that I could not shake. I tried to ignore it as I wanted to believe that it was the usual random stress at the beginning of a workday. However, when I was done training, I jumped in the shower and that is when it hit me. It was an overwhelming feeling of anxiety, my chest compressed under unbearable weight, I struggled to breathe, and I started to get dizzy and felt nauseous. I had to sit down in the shower as I felt like I was going to pass out. It was at that very moment that I realised what I was feeling was not normal and I needed more than positive thinking and a self-help book to keep me mentally healthy.
To alleviate some of the heavy bouts of anxiety and panic attacks that were taking place at the time I made a list of everything on my plate. I broke it down into “Work”, “Home” and “Life” and there was little I could do to change my work life or home life as it was already a place of comfort and peace. I looked at my “Life” list and the first thing I jotted down was “Uni”. It was that very moment that I realised that I had to take a break from Uni for a while until I was able to better manage the psychological turmoil that was twisting my mind in circles and my body into the ground.
As someone that meditates every day, I felt that the first step was for me to invest more effort into my practice. I decided to sign-up for the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course. It is an eight-week intensive course that was initially created in the late ’70s by the “godfather” of modern-day meditation, Dr Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts. The course initially focused on treating chronic pain, but it has since expanded to treating anxiety, eating disorders, depression, addiction and much more.
The MBSR course did wonders for my anxiety, and it is a course that everyone could benefit from to varying degrees. I won’t bore you with the neuroscience behind the “how” and the “what” of meditation, but ultimately the intention of the program is to offer you an improved capacity to make more deliberate and productive choices. To learn more about MBSR you can do a simple Google search for a course in your area or online or simply do some research online to see if it is something that you could commit to.
Years had gone by and I found that the anxiety was beginning to creep back into my day-to-day thoughts, feelings and behaviours. I committed to daily meditation practice and maintained a ridged self-care routine, i.e., daily exercise, vegan diet, hot baths, maintaining a low-stress environment and ongoing education for growth. Even with all my healthy habits the anxiety persisted and was once again becoming more than I could handle on my own. I was tired of feeling tired and overwhelmed and I was ready for the next level of support.
I decided that it was time to explore a new talk therapy and prescribed medication options and treatment with a psychiatrist and psychologist for my anxiety. For context, a psychiatrist is traditionally used for the assessment and treatment of mental disorders. A psychologist is traditionally used to help you identify the underlying psychological challenges that may be triggering or exacerbating a disorder and provide tools to better manage it.
I found a great psychologist and fantastic psychiatrist who helped me work through and better manage my mental health. Ultimately, I was prescribed an antidepressant and started Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) which was fitting for my personality type. Along with my other self-care habits, the medication and therapy have gotten me to a point where I am happier than ever, well-balanced and capable of living the life that I want and deserve. I still have off days, but I am in a much better place now than I have ever been.
I share all this very personal information to encourage those that are struggling with their own mental health challenges. I also want people to know that it is possible to be open about mental illness without being condemned or ridiculed.
Lastly, in recognition of mental health month, “Living to Thrive” (my company) is offering a FREE mental health and well-being training session to organisations and businesses across Australia. This includes community-focused organisations. Contact me directly if you are interested: ChuckAnderson@LivingtoThrive.com.au