September 23, 2025 • 33 mins
Cultural identity is a big part of who we are... it shapes our values, how we connect with others, and how we understand ourselves. For many young people, growing up with multiple cultures can feel empowering, but it can also bring challenges, especially when balancing family expectations with personal identity.
In this episode, our hosts share stories and reflections on what culture means to them and open space for lived experiences of navigating cultural identity in Australia.
headspace resources:
headspace – Cultural Diversity
headspace – Identity and Mental Health
headspace Centres – find your local service
headspace Work & Study – free, culturally inclusive career and study support
Multicultural youth and community support:
MYSA – Multicultural Youth SA: mysa.com.au
AMES Australia: Support for migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers – ames.net.au
CMY (Centre for Multicultural Youth) (national resources): cmy.net.au
Embrace Multicultural Mental Health: Resources and services tailored for CALD communities - embracementalhealth.org.au
Watch our video podcast now on YouTube or via Spotify, Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast platform.
This episode was created by Jaime (headspace sessions podcast content developer), Ally (Senior Community Engagement Officer, headspace Adelaide), Santi (headspace sessions co-host) and Ben (headspace sessions co-host).
To learn more about headspace centres, visit: https://headspace.org.au/ or connect with your local headspace centre on social media.
Led by headspace Adelaide, in partnership with headspace Edinburgh North, headspace Marion, headspace Onkaparinga and Sonder. The podcast project is brought to you by our centre’s Youth Reference Groups. It is a headspace Adelaide Youth Reference Group initiative.
Produced by Shane (Youth Services Community Engagement Team Leader, Sonder) and Ally (Senior Community Engagement Officer, headspace Adelaide), recorded and edited by Rory at Podbooth Studios, Adelaide.
Recorded on Kaurna Country. Acknowledgment of country voiced by Yanni (Aboriginal Peer Support Worker, headspace Adelaide).
If you or someone you know is in need of crisis or suicide prevention support, please contact:
Lifeline on 13 11 14 (Australia)
Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 (Australia)
Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed in this podcast are from young people and staff involved at Sonder’s headspace centres, or are guests invited to be interviewed. Information provided should not be taken as clinical advice.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:03):
Hi, my name's Yani. I'm an Aboriginal peer support
worker at Headspace Adelaide. I'd like to acknowledge that the
land we operate from and a meeting on right now is the land
of the Ghana people. I pay my respects to their
Elders, past, present and future, and acknowledge
Headspace's commitment to makinga positive contribution to young
people who are Aboriginal. Hi everybody, welcome back to
(00:31):
season 5 episode 3 of Head Say Sessions podcast.
Adelaide. My name is Ali and I am the host
for this season and I am joined by two wonderful Co hosts, one
that is hopefully familiar to bynow and another new face on our
(00:52):
podcast. Shall we introduce ourselves?
I guess I'm the new face. My name's Benjamin.
You might Remember Me if you've listened to Season 4 of the
Sessions podcast. I was a guest a couple of times,
but I'm here in a bit of a more proper capacity now.
Yeah, we're so happy to have you.
Thanks for joining us. Hi everyone, I'm Santi glad to
(01:13):
be back. Yeah, glad to have you back.
We are so excited to tackle thisepisode today as it's a really
important one. But we also just want to thank
you for all of the love and support that you guys have given
us to us so far, especially on our last episode.
I thought that that was a reallyvulnerable and important message
(01:34):
for us to talk about. And yeah, we've had some really
wonderful conversations from that episode.
So keep tuning in, keep leaving comments.
I know Jamie and Beth got some happy birthday comments last
time, so if you ever have anything on your mind following
these episodes, definitely leaveit in the comments or DM us on
any of our social media and we can get back to you.
(01:55):
But we are, yeah, really keen onjumping into today's episode,
which is all about cultural identity.
So thank you so much, as as always, to Jamie and Adam, who
are behind the scenes writing these scripts for us.
They are young people themselves, so we think that's
really important in how we approach these conversations and
keep ensuring that they are relatable to young people today
(02:17):
in our community. Also, as always, Jamie has
provided us with a very fun icebreaker to get into today's
conversation. She has posed the question, the
very important question to us. She has asked us, what's a food
from your culture that you couldeat every single day?
Are we going to the extreme of saying like this is the only
(02:39):
food that you're ever eating forthe rest of your life?
Or are we just kind of like, youcan eat other things, but this
is something you have to eat every day?
How extreme are we going with this?
I can go extreme. OK, let's go extreme.
What food are we eating every single day from our culture?
For me, it's like it's, it's noteven thinking.
I'm really, really into my iced coffee.
I love my iced coffee. And I think, you know, that's a
(03:02):
very like S Aussie thing. I, I don't remember when the
stat was from, but there was at least a point where they took a
survey of the most consumed beverages in the world and most
of places in the world it's Coca-Cola.
And then SA it was Farmers Unioniced coffee and.
I'm not even surprised. How many in a normal day would
you consume? I limit myself to like, you
know, 11 regular silicon. I used to be a maniac about it,
(03:25):
but I'm keeping my health in mind so.
Yeah, very admirable. Yeah.
Mine's a toffee because it's there's a lot that I can go
into, but I'd say Kotzu, which is a Sri Lankan staple.
It's chopped up roti with like stir fried vegetables and
(03:46):
whatever you want and meat, whatever you want.
It's really tasty. Amazing.
Do you need that breakfast, lunch and dinner?
And Bench is over here with his iced coffee.
You said extreme, So do you. Do you realize you're going to
be consuming iced coffee for every single meal of the rest of
your life? Yeah, I'm, I'm someone that
doesn't do my morning routine very well in terms of drawing it
out. I'm very quick in my morning
(04:07):
routine. So iced coffees are generally
like my breakfast equivalent. So I like, I'm on the go.
I can chug my iced coffee and it's because of the taste.
It's not like the classic like Ican't do anything without my
caffeine. Like I just, I just love the
taste. I don't know.
Yeah, no, I love that. I would say I'm, yeah, one of
those themes for Vegemite. So I'm just going to classic
(04:28):
like Vegemite, but it has to be specifically like the white
sourdough loaf from Baker's to light like, and it has to be
fresh bread. Like I don't want that like 2
day old, three day old bread offthe supermarket.
I want a fresh white loaf with aslab of butter and a slab of
Vegemite. And you can have that multiple
ways. You can have it fresh, you can
(04:49):
have it toasted. I'm not complaining and I
probably won't for the rest of my life if that was what I was
eating. So I love what we've brought to
the table and I think that leadsreally nicely into our
conversation today. So as I mentioned, we're talking
about cultural identity and whatthat means for us.
We know that for many young people, especially living in
(05:10):
Australia, cultural identity canbe a really important part of
someone's well-being, especiallytheir mental well-being.
You might be born here in Australia, or maybe your journey
is from somewhere halfway acrossthe world and you've experienced
a lot in your life that you thathas shaped who you are today.
(05:33):
And I think that's what we really want to highlight on what
that means to somebody and how that can shape their perspective
and their kind of everyday life here as a young person in
Australia. I also, I guess, just want to
acknowledge as a host that, you know, as someone who grew up in
(05:55):
Australia, I haven't had the same experiences as
multicultural young people have done in Australia.
But I know that cultural identity is an incredibly
important part of mental health.And that's the point of today's
episode is being able to listen to the stories that we're about
to share and highlight that and hopefully provide that platform
(06:20):
that young people can speak up about these things because they
are important and they do deserve to have a platform.
So I guess with that being said,I'm really intrigued to hear
from both you, Ben and Santi today around what culture means
for you both. What is it like for you?
(06:42):
Can you talk about your kind of experiences with what culture
means to you? So I'm from Sri Lanka, here is
an international student. For me, culture is what I've got
with my family, you know, bringing that and keeping that
in check and, you know, staying through those routes that were
(07:06):
instilled on to me since I was small.
And, you know, yes, those will change as you, you know, try to
acclimate to a different country.
But certain aspects of your culture, like, you know,
following your religion, if that's something.
I love that you've kind of acknowledged that it can change
(07:29):
over time and what it means to somebody, but also just
acknowledging that it can be very different for people.
It's not just like one kind of set definition of what culture
means to somebody. Everyone will have their own
perception and experience. So yeah, I love that you've
highlighted that. And I think, yeah, sort of
expanding upon what's already been said, I think that's a
(07:50):
really important thing to acknowledge.
Like culture is sort of this umbrella term.
And I think the first thing thatcomes to people's mind generally
comes with nationality or ethnicity.
But it's like such a prevalent factor across so many levels,
and it's almost kind of invisible in our day today.
You know, Santi, you were talking about like family
dynamics and, you know, that individual sort of culture
(08:10):
within the smaller group there. But I think, you know,
especially in this day and age, you know, if you think of young
people in particular, you know, there are cultures that exist on
the Internet and, you know, no one shares the same place,
location, even time. But there is one factor that
sort of unites them, and that's one element in forming a
person's culture out of all the other other sort of areas at the
(08:31):
same time there. And for me, that's just like a
really fascinating thing to sortof consider because I think with
culture, sometimes we can make the mistake of sticking people
into these very generalized categories rather than sort of
acknowledging that wider expansive element of how many
different cultures a person is associated with at the same
(08:51):
time. Yeah.
I know. I think that is a really
important reflection and whetheryou're somebody yourself who
when you think of culture, you kind of think of, yeah, what Ben
was mentioning around you have these assumptions of what
culture means to to you. And maybe you don't feel like
you fit into a stereotypical kind of group when it comes to
(09:16):
culture. Or maybe you don't know what
your culture is or where you've come from or what kind of shapes
you, But hopefully this episode kind of provides a spotlight on
that and maybe questioning your own perspective and having a
think to yourself about, oh, maybe OK, maybe I haven't had to
think about it growing up because I fit into the majority,
(09:37):
as some would say. But maybe now is my time to
think about what culture does mean to me.
And you know, those, those cultures on that do exist on the
Internet and that to shape our beliefs and our values and our
experiences that Yeah, to start thinking about those.
Have you ever felt disconnected from your cultural identity?
(09:59):
Have you ever maybe been torn between more than one culture?
I think I'm really interested, Santi, you've moved to
Australia, so you are navigatingin, in real time 2 probably very
important cultures that's exist for you.
How do you go about managing those and do you ever feel
(10:24):
disconnected from one or the other?
So with me, it wasn't a really big, like it wasn't a really
difficult transition from Sri Lankan culture to Australian
culture because growing up, but you know, I went to an
International School and my family household was like, it
(10:46):
wasn't your typical Sri Lankan household.
Yes, we'd have certain elements of Sri Lankan culture in it, but
it was more westernized like. So transitioning from that to
Australian culture wasn't that difficult.
But when it comes to the elementof disconnection, I think it's
(11:06):
more what you feel with people that surround you when you're
back home. And yeah, that's, I think one of
the main things that I've seen alot of people struggle with from
people I've spoken to is trying to find their place in
(11:28):
Australian society. Like I have a few friends who
are who's, they've been here fortwo years and they're still
like, you know, struggling to integrate themselves.
Absolutely, yeah. And usually they are surprised
that I am this way when they arestruggling as well.
(11:51):
OK. So yeah, it's it's a big
question. Yeah.
And for me it's not really a bigissue.
Well, I think that makes sense around.
You've acknowledged that you came from, as you kind of called
it, a very westernized version of maybe your culture back in
(12:12):
Sri Lanka. And that wouldn't have been or
wasn't the same experiences as maybe your friends or the people
that are here around you in Australia at the moment.
And, you know, we've highlightedthat everyone has such different
experiences with that. So, yeah, and I think that is an
important thing to discuss. Yeah, I think and as well, yes,
(12:33):
it is a bit difficult to transition and but you've also
got to take in mind that you've got to be open up, you've got to
open up to new experiences. What I like to say is if you are
struggling with acclimating intoanother culture is speak out
about it. And you know, I'm happy to help
(12:54):
whoever this asks me about anything but.
Just give out Santi's personal and.
Best. But if I do feel disconnected, I
usually, you know, meet up with,I've got a school friend from
Sri Lanka back here. So I usually, you know, meet up
with him. We'd, I just went for Sri Lankan
to have Sri Lankan food last week.
(13:15):
So it's just those cravings comein and that's when I feel
disconnected. And most of the time, I usually
talk to my mom like every singleday.
So that disconnection is not bad.
Yeah. I love that you've got things
that you can do if you are feeling disconnected, like,
yeah, eating foods that remind you at home and being able to
(13:36):
rely on your family during thosemore challenging times.
And yeah, I'm not sure, Ben, if you've got anything to.
That so you might have to bear with me while I contextualize
this. I think for me, you know, my
relationship with culture is a very sort of personal, I guess,
more introspective thing about how I exist in, you know, the
(14:00):
society as someone who was born and sort of raised in the the
dominant culture of the, you know, space in SA particularly,
you know, like my grandparents were all migrants from Europe
and my mom was born in Scotland.And I reckon if you picked up
their house and plopped it back in Europe, they wouldn't look
out of place at all. So there are elements of my
childhood there. But I think for me, in terms of
(14:22):
disconnection from my culture, you know, you've got that very
stereotypical, like true blue Aussie sort of nationalism that
some people feel. And I think that's
understandable. But for me, I think I constantly
have this sense of dissonance between the fact that, you know,
I've I was born here, I've been raised here.
I love living here. But there's that element where,
(14:43):
you know, I'm I'm born on stolenland.
I was born on Ghana land. I was raised on Ghana land.
We're recording on Ghana land. And I think, you know, for me,
it's I don't like that idea. Some people sort of promote of
like, well, you know, I wasn't the one that colonized
Australia. I wasn't the one that came here.
So why is it, you know, something I have to deal with?
(15:04):
But I think for me, it's sort oflike, you know, even though my
grandparents came here in the 20th century, they were nowhere
near sort of, you know, 1788 or anything like that.
I still actively benefit from what's happened there.
And, you know, to this day, I fully benefit from from what's
going on. And, and I have that easy sort
of almost pathway of growing up as part of that culture.
(15:27):
And then at the same time, I'm seeing people who have always
lived here, who were also born here, often around the same time
as me. And they have a totally
different experience because they've been alienated from the
cultural space while still residing on their own land.
And, you know, they've still gottheir own culture that's almost
shunned from the now current dominant culture.
(15:48):
And I think for me, it's almost more about looking at how I'm
understanding my surrounding cultural space and how I carry
myself within that cultural space.
Because I think doing that sort of blind ignorant factor of, you
know, Australia is great for me.And I love living here because
it's good for me. And I benefit from a lot of
things that only benefit me is a, is a sort of reductive
(16:11):
approach to, to making, you know, good progress in
conducting myself. Yeah.
It's a very privileged approach and I think everything you said,
first of all, I want to get thaton a T-shirt like that should be
platformed everywhere. And I think it's such an
important reflection that you have and that I feel deeply
(16:35):
aligned with as well as a white woman living in Australia.
It is so important that we are not ignorant to our culture and
where we come from and the land in which we live on and where we
are blessed to be able to recordthis podcast on.
So thank you so much for highlighting that, Ben.
(16:55):
I think that highlights and is an important conversation for
today around the fact that cultural identity is so
important to us, regardless of how much we are aware of it or
not. But some of us are able to
really understand and embrace that as part of our daily life,
(17:17):
whereas some of us may struggle.But I think being able to
recognise the importance of it and maybe how it does give us a
sense of belonging does kind of help navigate our our well-being
and maybe how we can look after ourselves and how it can benefit
us. So how does feeling connected to
(17:40):
our culture affect our mental well-being?
If we're if we're looking more so at the mental health side of
things, how does having that sense of belonging to our
culture and where we're from, how does that make us feel in a
positive way? I've made-up the word, but I
call myself a state where like, I feel far more of a connection
(18:01):
to SA than, you know, necessarily other parts of the
country. And I think there are certain
smaller elements in SA like, youknow, obviously the way we
pronounce dance and it's Pritz instead of Devon and it's Quilt
instead of Doona sort of thing. And, you know, yeah, the, the
iced coffee culture where it's sort of these smaller things.
And I think I feel connected in the sense where I, while I'm
(18:25):
Australian, I'm also part of this smaller system of SA where,
you know, regardless of your opinion on the outcome of like
the referendum, for example, SA just sort of went ahead and put,
implemented their own voice to parliament on a state level.
And I'm really proud of that fact because it was something I
was quite passionate about, eventhough it didn't go through
nationally. And I think, you know, having
(18:45):
that sense of belonging and affiliation means even when
circumstances are are a bit sortof scary on what the future
holds and how things might be going.
I think I look at my sort of smaller context or even, you
know, as you were saying something like even within my
family context and it's like I'mworried about the bigger
picture, but things are going all right on the smaller scale
(19:05):
for me. It makes you feel safe.
It makes you feel like maybe everything isn't as bad as it's
meant to seem, like kind of on aglobal scale.
As you mentioned, you feel like maybe you're not the only one
thinking these things. And it's it makes you feel less
alone. And I think that is a shared
experience across many cultures.How about you, Santi?
(19:31):
I think it's really good that says certain communities, you
know, you've got Sri Lankan communities in the end,
whatever. And even in my workplace, you've
got Sri Lankans working in departments all over the store.
And it's really good that you can go talk to them and like go
(19:52):
back into your native language and just hash out whatever you
want. But I think it's like you said,
it's that niche, the area that we need to, we need to focus on.
Yeah, but yeah. Yeah, almost like the world's
come down and you're surrounded by black minded people.
(20:15):
And whether that's a cultural group or even just a group that
you personally like align with, it's you see that instant kind
of positive effect on your mental health and your sense of
belonging that I'm sure all of us could relate to in some
capacity. And it helps build your
confidence and helps build that safety and in in being able to
(20:39):
voice certain opinions and shared values.
Wanting to someone in your own language is totally different to
how you would went in English. Yeah.
Yeah. Because it's so Sri Lanka's
national language is Sinhalese is really expressive.
So when you went, you have got facial expressions and
(21:01):
expressions. So you know you're wending with
your entire body and that person's not judging you.
So that's some because they knowwhat you're saying and it's just
like, OK, cool, we got it. Yeah, it.
Makes sense to them, yeah. I think sort of in the context
of the, the bigger picture as well, because, you know,
(21:22):
obviously we have these really helpful smaller cultural context
and situations we belong in. But I think in sort of regarding
the bigger picture as well, like, you know, I mentioned the
Internet earlier, I think possibly.
And I think that's like such a great medium through which to,
to create that sense of belonging, not just within your
own cultures, but I think it really helps with cultural like
interconnectivity at the same time, because it's sort of like
(21:44):
previously, you know, I think I'd, I'd consider Australia to
be a really multicultural place.And it's sort of, you know, the
fact that you can go out and have any sort of cuisine from
around the world you want and you are basically living in your
own backyard still is a really amazing thing to me.
But at the same time, it's sort of like now that the internet's
there, everyone's able to interact with each other with
(22:05):
such an immediacy where no longer it's like, you know,
you're waiting weeks for your carrier pigeon to deliver a
letter overseas or something like that.
And I think that's this like really cool thing.
And I mean, it also means you don't have to use those
conventional means of connectingwith people to still maintain
that feeling of connection and stuff like that.
Like I think fandom culture is probably a really good example,
(22:27):
like a bunch of people loving the same things.
And I think over the past few decades, you know, you've seen
it. It's gone from like, you know,
liking this thing is weird. And you get shunned in your high
school unless you're like that classic stereotypical, like,
jock figure to, you know, doesn't matter if no one in your
high school necessarily enjoys the same things you do because
there's an easily accessible group of people who do that are
(22:47):
going to appreciate what you're saying.
And they're going to, like, understand what you're saying.
And they're going to love what you love the same way you do.
And I think that's a really, like, sonnet sort of beautiful
thing to come out of the digitalage with all our sort of
concerns about it and whatnot. But that, that increased
connectivity both within cultures and between cultures is
a really nice thing to me. Yeah.
(23:08):
Yeah, I love that. There are so many positive
reasons that we can reflect on, on my culture can be important
to somebody. And as we know, mental health is
never viewed the same anywhere, especially across cultures.
What's normal in one culture might not be normal in another
(23:28):
or maybe more misunderstood. And for many young people,
especially from multicultural backgrounds and from different
cultures, challenges can arise from this difference in views
and difference in perspectives. As we know, racism is incredibly
prevalent discrimination. A lot of cultural
(23:50):
misunderstandings can really negatively affect a young
persons mental health and it's really important that there
exists culturally safe and inclusive spaces in Australia
and on a more local level in Adelaide that can provide
supports to these young people to help navigate these
challenges. Have you ever, or do you know of
(24:13):
anyone personally in your life that has ever avoided seeking
help because they were worried about it not fitting in with
their cultural values or they there was stigma that was there?
So this goes back to Sri Lanka as well.
I'm sorry, I'm just going. To that's your culture
understanding. Way back this goes like, I think
(24:38):
forever, but Sri Lankans think of mental health as someone
going crazy, which is sort of like if someone seeks mental
health help, essentially they think, OK, you've got something
wrong in you. Yep.
So even if you dealing with stress anxiety, it's still like,
(25:01):
you know, frowned upon like Oh my God, this person's off that
rocket, something like that. So coming from that culture and
seeing that here, it's totally like, you know, it's open.
Like people talk about it openly.
I mean, I had people at uni as well just talking about it
(25:23):
openly. And it's no, no one's like, you
know, looking down upon it. Yeah.
And sometimes whenever someone'sgoing through something, they
don't want to seek that help. Yeah.
And they try to, like, bottle itup.
And that's where burnout comes in.
And they just breakdown. Yeah.
I myself, like, I burnt out because of uni assignment, stuff
(25:47):
like that. And I went to the student
counselor and I was like, this is I'm just stressing out.
I'm totally fine. Like it's, it's normal.
But yeah, it's people like age. South Asian countries are really
scared of going to seek mental health because they're scared of
what people in their culture will think of them.
(26:10):
And it doesn't help when parentslook down upon it as well
because like, I've seen and heard certain parents shrug the
fact that it's fine, you're justa kid, you know, you've got
nothing to worry about, but you don't know what that kids going
through. Yeah, so, but in that sense, my
(26:33):
parents were like really open, you know, that if I was going
through something, mom would be always there to talk to me about
anything, regardless of if it ofit being like really small
issue. Like I used to be bullied in
school and that took a really big toll on me and I'd stopped
going to school. I completely did not go for my
(26:56):
final semester exams because I was mentally down.
And my mom was like, that's fine, just stay at home.
We'd rather have you here in a like a clean mental health with
a clean mental health rather than you going there and failing
all your exams because of how other people are treating you.
(27:17):
I'm really glad to hear that youhad a positive experience in
your family and especially over here in Australia when you were
approaching your counsellor and you felt validated and normal to
have those feelings. And we know that that's not the
case for everybody, unfortunately, but there are so
(27:40):
many wonderful supports that areout there, especially if you've
migrated to Australia and you'reseeking some support with your
mental health. There are some incredible
services that we will link in our episode notes that you can
reach out to. Did you have anything, Ben, that
you wanted to add finally to this very important topic?
(28:03):
Yeah, honestly, I think I was gonna sort of mirror what Santi
was already sort of really describing.
Well, I think you know what you mentioned earlier about the
feeling of venting in your own language versus like if you're
if you're a migrant living in Australia, how do you convey
certain feelings where translations don't directly
align with what you're trying toexpress in a language that isn't
(28:23):
your own sort of mother tongue? And then I guess for me, you
know, I think this goes across cultures because it is that
smaller side thing of, you know,human productivity and that
obsession with productivity. It's like there's a stigma
around a man mental health and getting help for it because
it's, it's less of like about helping someone.
It's more that, you know, that'sa that's a defect or it's like a
(28:45):
failure to be productive. It's sort of, you know,
especially with the pressures ofschooling, not only navigating
that socially, but in terms of succeeding there.
You know, very similar story to to Santi's.
I had a period where I had lots of sudden change in my life in
early high school, and I just really suddenly got so anxious I
couldn't even leave my room. And I think the thing that was
tough for that is my family. You know, there was this
(29:07):
expectation. I just, I go through school, I
go do something at uni and I function and I, like, contribute
to society. And I think having to have that
really blunt, awkward conversation with your parents
of like, hey, look, I, I need help.
I need help. And you almost have to justify
why you need help before you're allowed to get help.
Is this really difficult thing to navigate?
I think culturally, yeah. It's a lot to have on,
(29:31):
especially if you're a young person on your shoulders to
navigate alone. And that can be a really
confronting experience. And that's why we're having this
important conversation is to highlight that we see that this
is happening for a lot of peopleand we are here to support you
during these times. Whether you're ready to take
(29:52):
that step in coming to a headspace center or reaching out
to someone directly and having that one-on-one kind of support
provided, or if it's just this conversation has highlighted,
maybe it's important that I do talk to a friend and kind of
share what's going on for me so.Sorry, even if even if you go
(30:14):
and speak to a certain council and if they feel OK, you need
extra help. I've had certain people come up
to me and say, hey, headspace isa good place to go talk to.
But yeah, I think also adding toBen's idea of expectations,
that's like a major issue because coming from South Asian
(30:36):
backgrounds, parents, you know, yes, your parents are paying
like thousands of dollars to getyou to Australia.
And then that sort of is on yourshoulder.
Absolutely. And that takes a really big hit
on your mental health because ifyou fail a topic, that's when
(30:56):
it's like, Oh my God, yeah, OK, parents are gonna be happy.
And then that's more weight adding onto your shoulder.
But then when you come from families that don't look into
your mental health, that's even worse.
It also doesn't help when certain people have a
misunderstanding of mental health because the assumption
(31:18):
is, I know it's nothing major. Like even though I'm dealing
with anxiety or I'm stressed now, it'll just fade away.
But it doesn't. So that's where I think that
stigma needs to just evaporate. A.
Bit honestly, I think we could talk about this topic for many,
(31:41):
many more hours, but I think themain message that we've
acknowledged is this is not a singular experience that one
person has had. If you are listening and you can
relate to anything, just know that you're you're not alone.
We're no matter where you come from and what experiences you've
had growing up, I'm sure that everyone has had or can relate
(32:04):
to something we've spoken about and that just highlights that
there is somebody out there thatcan understand what you're going
through. So no matter where what your
cultural background is, support is available to you and you
absolutely don't have to face any challenges alone.
Your culture matters, your experiences matter, and there
(32:25):
are people and there are resources that are ready to
support you when you are ready to take that step.
Thank you so much for sharing everything that you guys did
today. I think it was a really
important start to a conversation we should be having
every single day and encouragingthat reflection no matter who
you are. So thank you for sharing your
(32:45):
stories. Thank you for sharing your
experiences and perspectives. And as always, we are so
grateful that you are here and providing your opinions on very
important topics. So thank you for tuning in to
another episode of Head So Sessions Adelaide Podcast.
We are really excited to be bringing to you some more
(33:09):
episodes in the future. So please stay tuned in no
matter where you listen to your podcast.
But thank you so much for today's chat and we hope to see
you.
Hi, my name's Yani. I'm an Aboriginal peer support
worker at Headspace Adelaide. I'd like to acknowledge that the
land we operate from and a meeting on right now is the land
of the Ghana people. I pay my respects to their
Elders, past, present and future, and acknowledge
Headspace's commitment to makinga positive contribution to young
people who are Aboriginal. Hi everybody, welcome back to
(00:31):
season 5 episode 3 of Head Say Sessions podcast.
Adelaide. My name is Ali and I am the host
for this season and I am joined by two wonderful Co hosts, one
that is hopefully familiar to bynow and another new face on our
(00:52):
podcast. Shall we introduce ourselves?
I guess I'm the new face. My name's Benjamin.
You might Remember Me if you've listened to Season 4 of the
Sessions podcast. I was a guest a couple of times,
but I'm here in a bit of a more proper capacity now.
Yeah, we're so happy to have you.
Thanks for joining us. Hi everyone, I'm Santi glad to
(01:13):
be back. Yeah, glad to have you back.
We are so excited to tackle thisepisode today as it's a really
important one. But we also just want to thank
you for all of the love and support that you guys have given
us to us so far, especially on our last episode.
I thought that that was a reallyvulnerable and important message
(01:34):
for us to talk about. And yeah, we've had some really
wonderful conversations from that episode.
So keep tuning in, keep leaving comments.
I know Jamie and Beth got some happy birthday comments last
time, so if you ever have anything on your mind following
these episodes, definitely leaveit in the comments or DM us on
any of our social media and we can get back to you.
(01:55):
But we are, yeah, really keen onjumping into today's episode,
which is all about cultural identity.
So thank you so much, as as always, to Jamie and Adam, who
are behind the scenes writing these scripts for us.
They are young people themselves, so we think that's
really important in how we approach these conversations and
keep ensuring that they are relatable to young people today
(02:17):
in our community. Also, as always, Jamie has
provided us with a very fun icebreaker to get into today's
conversation. She has posed the question, the
very important question to us. She has asked us, what's a food
from your culture that you couldeat every single day?
Are we going to the extreme of saying like this is the only
(02:39):
food that you're ever eating forthe rest of your life?
Or are we just kind of like, youcan eat other things, but this
is something you have to eat every day?
How extreme are we going with this?
I can go extreme. OK, let's go extreme.
What food are we eating every single day from our culture?
For me, it's like it's, it's noteven thinking.
I'm really, really into my iced coffee.
I love my iced coffee. And I think, you know, that's a
(03:02):
very like S Aussie thing. I, I don't remember when the
stat was from, but there was at least a point where they took a
survey of the most consumed beverages in the world and most
of places in the world it's Coca-Cola.
And then SA it was Farmers Unioniced coffee and.
I'm not even surprised. How many in a normal day would
you consume? I limit myself to like, you
know, 11 regular silicon. I used to be a maniac about it,
(03:25):
but I'm keeping my health in mind so.
Yeah, very admirable. Yeah.
Mine's a toffee because it's there's a lot that I can go
into, but I'd say Kotzu, which is a Sri Lankan staple.
It's chopped up roti with like stir fried vegetables and
(03:46):
whatever you want and meat, whatever you want.
It's really tasty. Amazing.
Do you need that breakfast, lunch and dinner?
And Bench is over here with his iced coffee.
You said extreme, So do you. Do you realize you're going to
be consuming iced coffee for every single meal of the rest of
your life? Yeah, I'm, I'm someone that
doesn't do my morning routine very well in terms of drawing it
out. I'm very quick in my morning
(04:07):
routine. So iced coffees are generally
like my breakfast equivalent. So I like, I'm on the go.
I can chug my iced coffee and it's because of the taste.
It's not like the classic like Ican't do anything without my
caffeine. Like I just, I just love the
taste. I don't know.
Yeah, no, I love that. I would say I'm, yeah, one of
those themes for Vegemite. So I'm just going to classic
(04:28):
like Vegemite, but it has to be specifically like the white
sourdough loaf from Baker's to light like, and it has to be
fresh bread. Like I don't want that like 2
day old, three day old bread offthe supermarket.
I want a fresh white loaf with aslab of butter and a slab of
Vegemite. And you can have that multiple
ways. You can have it fresh, you can
(04:49):
have it toasted. I'm not complaining and I
probably won't for the rest of my life if that was what I was
eating. So I love what we've brought to
the table and I think that leadsreally nicely into our
conversation today. So as I mentioned, we're talking
about cultural identity and whatthat means for us.
We know that for many young people, especially living in
(05:10):
Australia, cultural identity canbe a really important part of
someone's well-being, especiallytheir mental well-being.
You might be born here in Australia, or maybe your journey
is from somewhere halfway acrossthe world and you've experienced
a lot in your life that you thathas shaped who you are today.
(05:33):
And I think that's what we really want to highlight on what
that means to somebody and how that can shape their perspective
and their kind of everyday life here as a young person in
Australia. I also, I guess, just want to
acknowledge as a host that, you know, as someone who grew up in
(05:55):
Australia, I haven't had the same experiences as
multicultural young people have done in Australia.
But I know that cultural identity is an incredibly
important part of mental health.And that's the point of today's
episode is being able to listen to the stories that we're about
to share and highlight that and hopefully provide that platform
(06:20):
that young people can speak up about these things because they
are important and they do deserve to have a platform.
So I guess with that being said,I'm really intrigued to hear
from both you, Ben and Santi today around what culture means
for you both. What is it like for you?
(06:42):
Can you talk about your kind of experiences with what culture
means to you? So I'm from Sri Lanka, here is
an international student. For me, culture is what I've got
with my family, you know, bringing that and keeping that
in check and, you know, staying through those routes that were
(07:06):
instilled on to me since I was small.
And, you know, yes, those will change as you, you know, try to
acclimate to a different country.
But certain aspects of your culture, like, you know,
following your religion, if that's something.
I love that you've kind of acknowledged that it can change
(07:29):
over time and what it means to somebody, but also just
acknowledging that it can be very different for people.
It's not just like one kind of set definition of what culture
means to somebody. Everyone will have their own
perception and experience. So yeah, I love that you've
highlighted that. And I think, yeah, sort of
expanding upon what's already been said, I think that's a
(07:50):
really important thing to acknowledge.
Like culture is sort of this umbrella term.
And I think the first thing thatcomes to people's mind generally
comes with nationality or ethnicity.
But it's like such a prevalent factor across so many levels,
and it's almost kind of invisible in our day today.
You know, Santi, you were talking about like family
dynamics and, you know, that individual sort of culture
(08:10):
within the smaller group there. But I think, you know,
especially in this day and age, you know, if you think of young
people in particular, you know, there are cultures that exist on
the Internet and, you know, no one shares the same place,
location, even time. But there is one factor that
sort of unites them, and that's one element in forming a
person's culture out of all the other other sort of areas at the
(08:31):
same time there. And for me, that's just like a
really fascinating thing to sortof consider because I think with
culture, sometimes we can make the mistake of sticking people
into these very generalized categories rather than sort of
acknowledging that wider expansive element of how many
different cultures a person is associated with at the same
(08:51):
time. Yeah.
I know. I think that is a really
important reflection and whetheryou're somebody yourself who
when you think of culture, you kind of think of, yeah, what Ben
was mentioning around you have these assumptions of what
culture means to to you. And maybe you don't feel like
you fit into a stereotypical kind of group when it comes to
(09:16):
culture. Or maybe you don't know what
your culture is or where you've come from or what kind of shapes
you, But hopefully this episode kind of provides a spotlight on
that and maybe questioning your own perspective and having a
think to yourself about, oh, maybe OK, maybe I haven't had to
think about it growing up because I fit into the majority,
(09:37):
as some would say. But maybe now is my time to
think about what culture does mean to me.
And you know, those, those cultures on that do exist on the
Internet and that to shape our beliefs and our values and our
experiences that Yeah, to start thinking about those.
Have you ever felt disconnected from your cultural identity?
(09:59):
Have you ever maybe been torn between more than one culture?
I think I'm really interested, Santi, you've moved to
Australia, so you are navigatingin, in real time 2 probably very
important cultures that's exist for you.
How do you go about managing those and do you ever feel
(10:24):
disconnected from one or the other?
So with me, it wasn't a really big, like it wasn't a really
difficult transition from Sri Lankan culture to Australian
culture because growing up, but you know, I went to an
International School and my family household was like, it
(10:46):
wasn't your typical Sri Lankan household.
Yes, we'd have certain elements of Sri Lankan culture in it, but
it was more westernized like. So transitioning from that to
Australian culture wasn't that difficult.
But when it comes to the elementof disconnection, I think it's
(11:06):
more what you feel with people that surround you when you're
back home. And yeah, that's, I think one of
the main things that I've seen alot of people struggle with from
people I've spoken to is trying to find their place in
(11:28):
Australian society. Like I have a few friends who
are who's, they've been here fortwo years and they're still
like, you know, struggling to integrate themselves.
Absolutely, yeah. And usually they are surprised
that I am this way when they arestruggling as well.
(11:51):
OK. So yeah, it's it's a big
question. Yeah.
And for me it's not really a bigissue.
Well, I think that makes sense around.
You've acknowledged that you came from, as you kind of called
it, a very westernized version of maybe your culture back in
(12:12):
Sri Lanka. And that wouldn't have been or
wasn't the same experiences as maybe your friends or the people
that are here around you in Australia at the moment.
And, you know, we've highlightedthat everyone has such different
experiences with that. So, yeah, and I think that is an
important thing to discuss. Yeah, I think and as well, yes,
(12:33):
it is a bit difficult to transition and but you've also
got to take in mind that you've got to be open up, you've got to
open up to new experiences. What I like to say is if you are
struggling with acclimating intoanother culture is speak out
about it. And you know, I'm happy to help
(12:54):
whoever this asks me about anything but.
Just give out Santi's personal and.
Best. But if I do feel disconnected, I
usually, you know, meet up with,I've got a school friend from
Sri Lanka back here. So I usually, you know, meet up
with him. We'd, I just went for Sri Lankan
to have Sri Lankan food last week.
(13:15):
So it's just those cravings comein and that's when I feel
disconnected. And most of the time, I usually
talk to my mom like every singleday.
So that disconnection is not bad.
Yeah. I love that you've got things
that you can do if you are feeling disconnected, like,
yeah, eating foods that remind you at home and being able to
(13:36):
rely on your family during thosemore challenging times.
And yeah, I'm not sure, Ben, if you've got anything to.
That so you might have to bear with me while I contextualize
this. I think for me, you know, my
relationship with culture is a very sort of personal, I guess,
more introspective thing about how I exist in, you know, the
(14:00):
society as someone who was born and sort of raised in the the
dominant culture of the, you know, space in SA particularly,
you know, like my grandparents were all migrants from Europe
and my mom was born in Scotland.And I reckon if you picked up
their house and plopped it back in Europe, they wouldn't look
out of place at all. So there are elements of my
childhood there. But I think for me, in terms of
(14:22):
disconnection from my culture, you know, you've got that very
stereotypical, like true blue Aussie sort of nationalism that
some people feel. And I think that's
understandable. But for me, I think I constantly
have this sense of dissonance between the fact that, you know,
I've I was born here, I've been raised here.
I love living here. But there's that element where,
(14:43):
you know, I'm I'm born on stolenland.
I was born on Ghana land. I was raised on Ghana land.
We're recording on Ghana land. And I think, you know, for me,
it's I don't like that idea. Some people sort of promote of
like, well, you know, I wasn't the one that colonized
Australia. I wasn't the one that came here.
So why is it, you know, something I have to deal with?
(15:04):
But I think for me, it's sort oflike, you know, even though my
grandparents came here in the 20th century, they were nowhere
near sort of, you know, 1788 or anything like that.
I still actively benefit from what's happened there.
And, you know, to this day, I fully benefit from from what's
going on. And, and I have that easy sort
of almost pathway of growing up as part of that culture.
(15:27):
And then at the same time, I'm seeing people who have always
lived here, who were also born here, often around the same time
as me. And they have a totally
different experience because they've been alienated from the
cultural space while still residing on their own land.
And, you know, they've still gottheir own culture that's almost
shunned from the now current dominant culture.
(15:48):
And I think for me, it's almost more about looking at how I'm
understanding my surrounding cultural space and how I carry
myself within that cultural space.
Because I think doing that sort of blind ignorant factor of, you
know, Australia is great for me.And I love living here because
it's good for me. And I benefit from a lot of
things that only benefit me is a, is a sort of reductive
(16:11):
approach to, to making, you know, good progress in
conducting myself. Yeah.
It's a very privileged approach and I think everything you said,
first of all, I want to get thaton a T-shirt like that should be
platformed everywhere. And I think it's such an
important reflection that you have and that I feel deeply
(16:35):
aligned with as well as a white woman living in Australia.
It is so important that we are not ignorant to our culture and
where we come from and the land in which we live on and where we
are blessed to be able to recordthis podcast on.
So thank you so much for highlighting that, Ben.
(16:55):
I think that highlights and is an important conversation for
today around the fact that cultural identity is so
important to us, regardless of how much we are aware of it or
not. But some of us are able to
really understand and embrace that as part of our daily life,
(17:17):
whereas some of us may struggle.But I think being able to
recognise the importance of it and maybe how it does give us a
sense of belonging does kind of help navigate our our well-being
and maybe how we can look after ourselves and how it can benefit
us. So how does feeling connected to
(17:40):
our culture affect our mental well-being?
If we're if we're looking more so at the mental health side of
things, how does having that sense of belonging to our
culture and where we're from, how does that make us feel in a
positive way? I've made-up the word, but I
call myself a state where like, I feel far more of a connection
(18:01):
to SA than, you know, necessarily other parts of the
country. And I think there are certain
smaller elements in SA like, youknow, obviously the way we
pronounce dance and it's Pritz instead of Devon and it's Quilt
instead of Doona sort of thing. And, you know, yeah, the, the
iced coffee culture where it's sort of these smaller things.
And I think I feel connected in the sense where I, while I'm
(18:25):
Australian, I'm also part of this smaller system of SA where,
you know, regardless of your opinion on the outcome of like
the referendum, for example, SA just sort of went ahead and put,
implemented their own voice to parliament on a state level.
And I'm really proud of that fact because it was something I
was quite passionate about, eventhough it didn't go through
nationally. And I think, you know, having
(18:45):
that sense of belonging and affiliation means even when
circumstances are are a bit sortof scary on what the future
holds and how things might be going.
I think I look at my sort of smaller context or even, you
know, as you were saying something like even within my
family context and it's like I'mworried about the bigger
picture, but things are going all right on the smaller scale
(19:05):
for me. It makes you feel safe.
It makes you feel like maybe everything isn't as bad as it's
meant to seem, like kind of on aglobal scale.
As you mentioned, you feel like maybe you're not the only one
thinking these things. And it's it makes you feel less
alone. And I think that is a shared
experience across many cultures.How about you, Santi?
(19:31):
I think it's really good that says certain communities, you
know, you've got Sri Lankan communities in the end,
whatever. And even in my workplace, you've
got Sri Lankans working in departments all over the store.
And it's really good that you can go talk to them and like go
(19:52):
back into your native language and just hash out whatever you
want. But I think it's like you said,
it's that niche, the area that we need to, we need to focus on.
Yeah, but yeah. Yeah, almost like the world's
come down and you're surrounded by black minded people.
(20:15):
And whether that's a cultural group or even just a group that
you personally like align with, it's you see that instant kind
of positive effect on your mental health and your sense of
belonging that I'm sure all of us could relate to in some
capacity. And it helps build your
confidence and helps build that safety and in in being able to
(20:39):
voice certain opinions and shared values.
Wanting to someone in your own language is totally different to
how you would went in English. Yeah.
Yeah. Because it's so Sri Lanka's
national language is Sinhalese is really expressive.
So when you went, you have got facial expressions and
(21:01):
expressions. So you know you're wending with
your entire body and that person's not judging you.
So that's some because they knowwhat you're saying and it's just
like, OK, cool, we got it. Yeah, it.
Makes sense to them, yeah. I think sort of in the context
of the, the bigger picture as well, because, you know,
(21:22):
obviously we have these really helpful smaller cultural context
and situations we belong in. But I think in sort of regarding
the bigger picture as well, like, you know, I mentioned the
Internet earlier, I think possibly.
And I think that's like such a great medium through which to,
to create that sense of belonging, not just within your
own cultures, but I think it really helps with cultural like
interconnectivity at the same time, because it's sort of like
(21:44):
previously, you know, I think I'd, I'd consider Australia to
be a really multicultural place.And it's sort of, you know, the
fact that you can go out and have any sort of cuisine from
around the world you want and you are basically living in your
own backyard still is a really amazing thing to me.
But at the same time, it's sort of like now that the internet's
there, everyone's able to interact with each other with
(22:05):
such an immediacy where no longer it's like, you know,
you're waiting weeks for your carrier pigeon to deliver a
letter overseas or something like that.
And I think that's this like really cool thing.
And I mean, it also means you don't have to use those
conventional means of connectingwith people to still maintain
that feeling of connection and stuff like that.
Like I think fandom culture is probably a really good example,
(22:27):
like a bunch of people loving the same things.
And I think over the past few decades, you know, you've seen
it. It's gone from like, you know,
liking this thing is weird. And you get shunned in your high
school unless you're like that classic stereotypical, like,
jock figure to, you know, doesn't matter if no one in your
high school necessarily enjoys the same things you do because
there's an easily accessible group of people who do that are
(22:47):
going to appreciate what you're saying.
And they're going to, like, understand what you're saying.
And they're going to love what you love the same way you do.
And I think that's a really, like, sonnet sort of beautiful
thing to come out of the digitalage with all our sort of
concerns about it and whatnot. But that, that increased
connectivity both within cultures and between cultures is
a really nice thing to me. Yeah.
(23:08):
Yeah, I love that. There are so many positive
reasons that we can reflect on, on my culture can be important
to somebody. And as we know, mental health is
never viewed the same anywhere, especially across cultures.
What's normal in one culture might not be normal in another
(23:28):
or maybe more misunderstood. And for many young people,
especially from multicultural backgrounds and from different
cultures, challenges can arise from this difference in views
and difference in perspectives. As we know, racism is incredibly
prevalent discrimination. A lot of cultural
(23:50):
misunderstandings can really negatively affect a young
persons mental health and it's really important that there
exists culturally safe and inclusive spaces in Australia
and on a more local level in Adelaide that can provide
supports to these young people to help navigate these
challenges. Have you ever, or do you know of
(24:13):
anyone personally in your life that has ever avoided seeking
help because they were worried about it not fitting in with
their cultural values or they there was stigma that was there?
So this goes back to Sri Lanka as well.
I'm sorry, I'm just going. To that's your culture
understanding. Way back this goes like, I think
(24:38):
forever, but Sri Lankans think of mental health as someone
going crazy, which is sort of like if someone seeks mental
health help, essentially they think, OK, you've got something
wrong in you. Yep.
So even if you dealing with stress anxiety, it's still like,
(25:01):
you know, frowned upon like Oh my God, this person's off that
rocket, something like that. So coming from that culture and
seeing that here, it's totally like, you know, it's open.
Like people talk about it openly.
I mean, I had people at uni as well just talking about it
(25:23):
openly. And it's no, no one's like, you
know, looking down upon it. Yeah.
And sometimes whenever someone'sgoing through something, they
don't want to seek that help. Yeah.
And they try to, like, bottle itup.
And that's where burnout comes in.
And they just breakdown. Yeah.
I myself, like, I burnt out because of uni assignment, stuff
(25:47):
like that. And I went to the student
counselor and I was like, this is I'm just stressing out.
I'm totally fine. Like it's, it's normal.
But yeah, it's people like age. South Asian countries are really
scared of going to seek mental health because they're scared of
what people in their culture will think of them.
(26:10):
And it doesn't help when parentslook down upon it as well
because like, I've seen and heard certain parents shrug the
fact that it's fine, you're justa kid, you know, you've got
nothing to worry about, but you don't know what that kids going
through. Yeah, so, but in that sense, my
(26:33):
parents were like really open, you know, that if I was going
through something, mom would be always there to talk to me about
anything, regardless of if it ofit being like really small
issue. Like I used to be bullied in
school and that took a really big toll on me and I'd stopped
going to school. I completely did not go for my
(26:56):
final semester exams because I was mentally down.
And my mom was like, that's fine, just stay at home.
We'd rather have you here in a like a clean mental health with
a clean mental health rather than you going there and failing
all your exams because of how other people are treating you.
(27:17):
I'm really glad to hear that youhad a positive experience in
your family and especially over here in Australia when you were
approaching your counsellor and you felt validated and normal to
have those feelings. And we know that that's not the
case for everybody, unfortunately, but there are so
(27:40):
many wonderful supports that areout there, especially if you've
migrated to Australia and you'reseeking some support with your
mental health. There are some incredible
services that we will link in our episode notes that you can
reach out to. Did you have anything, Ben, that
you wanted to add finally to this very important topic?
(28:03):
Yeah, honestly, I think I was gonna sort of mirror what Santi
was already sort of really describing.
Well, I think you know what you mentioned earlier about the
feeling of venting in your own language versus like if you're
if you're a migrant living in Australia, how do you convey
certain feelings where translations don't directly
align with what you're trying toexpress in a language that isn't
(28:23):
your own sort of mother tongue? And then I guess for me, you
know, I think this goes across cultures because it is that
smaller side thing of, you know,human productivity and that
obsession with productivity. It's like there's a stigma
around a man mental health and getting help for it because
it's, it's less of like about helping someone.
It's more that, you know, that'sa that's a defect or it's like a
(28:45):
failure to be productive. It's sort of, you know,
especially with the pressures ofschooling, not only navigating
that socially, but in terms of succeeding there.
You know, very similar story to to Santi's.
I had a period where I had lots of sudden change in my life in
early high school, and I just really suddenly got so anxious I
couldn't even leave my room. And I think the thing that was
tough for that is my family. You know, there was this
(29:07):
expectation. I just, I go through school, I
go do something at uni and I function and I, like, contribute
to society. And I think having to have that
really blunt, awkward conversation with your parents
of like, hey, look, I, I need help.
I need help. And you almost have to justify
why you need help before you're allowed to get help.
Is this really difficult thing to navigate?
I think culturally, yeah. It's a lot to have on,
(29:31):
especially if you're a young person on your shoulders to
navigate alone. And that can be a really
confronting experience. And that's why we're having this
important conversation is to highlight that we see that this
is happening for a lot of peopleand we are here to support you
during these times. Whether you're ready to take
(29:52):
that step in coming to a headspace center or reaching out
to someone directly and having that one-on-one kind of support
provided, or if it's just this conversation has highlighted,
maybe it's important that I do talk to a friend and kind of
share what's going on for me so.Sorry, even if even if you go
(30:14):
and speak to a certain council and if they feel OK, you need
extra help. I've had certain people come up
to me and say, hey, headspace isa good place to go talk to.
But yeah, I think also adding toBen's idea of expectations,
that's like a major issue because coming from South Asian
(30:36):
backgrounds, parents, you know, yes, your parents are paying
like thousands of dollars to getyou to Australia.
And then that sort of is on yourshoulder.
Absolutely. And that takes a really big hit
on your mental health because ifyou fail a topic, that's when
(30:56):
it's like, Oh my God, yeah, OK, parents are gonna be happy.
And then that's more weight adding onto your shoulder.
But then when you come from families that don't look into
your mental health, that's even worse.
It also doesn't help when certain people have a
misunderstanding of mental health because the assumption
(31:18):
is, I know it's nothing major. Like even though I'm dealing
with anxiety or I'm stressed now, it'll just fade away.
But it doesn't. So that's where I think that
stigma needs to just evaporate. A.
Bit honestly, I think we could talk about this topic for many,
(31:41):
many more hours, but I think themain message that we've
acknowledged is this is not a singular experience that one
person has had. If you are listening and you can
relate to anything, just know that you're you're not alone.
We're no matter where you come from and what experiences you've
had growing up, I'm sure that everyone has had or can relate
(32:04):
to something we've spoken about and that just highlights that
there is somebody out there thatcan understand what you're going
through. So no matter where what your
cultural background is, support is available to you and you
absolutely don't have to face any challenges alone.
Your culture matters, your experiences matter, and there
(32:25):
are people and there are resources that are ready to
support you when you are ready to take that step.
Thank you so much for sharing everything that you guys did
today. I think it was a really
important start to a conversation we should be having
every single day and encouragingthat reflection no matter who
you are. So thank you for sharing your
(32:45):
stories. Thank you for sharing your
experiences and perspectives. And as always, we are so
grateful that you are here and providing your opinions on very
important topics. So thank you for tuning in to
another episode of Head So Sessions Adelaide Podcast.
We are really excited to be bringing to you some more
(33:09):
episodes in the future. So please stay tuned in no
matter where you listen to your podcast.
But thank you so much for today's chat and we hope to see
you.
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