Three-and-a-half years ago I went through a stressful period in my life. I was working long, hard hours as a waiter in a restaurant, which I didn’t particularly enjoy. In the months before August 2011, on a family holiday to Darwin, Australia, I became socially withdrawn, paranoid, irritable and hostile.
I wondered what was happening, but didn’t contemplate this mood any further. In all this confusion, I became intrigued with this girl at work. She received unusual text messages that didn’t make any sense. She suggested seeing someone, but I was oblivious to this suggestion. The text messages to this girl became increasingly weird and disordered. She became concerned. I was confused. In a culmination of events, I received a text message from my boss, asking him to meet me at work. The girl complained I was bullying her. I was subsequently fired. In my confused and delirious state, I wasn’t sleeping and my thoughts were racing around my head like a cars in a Grand Prix. The next day my family took me to the doctor and I was diagnosed with Psychosis. The road to recovery wasn’t always an easy one. The anti-psychotic medications had some severe side-effects. On top of that, I was very anxious about my future. I was depressed and at times I felt suicidal. Through the support of my family, other community groups and changes in medication (at least six times), I was able to get my life back on solid ground. I'm still on anti-psychotic medication to treat Schizophrenia but the difference is, thanks to Headspace, I am able to question, manage and filter my thoughts more successfully. I found Headspace Take10 after searching for remedies to improve my health. I have completed five months of meditation, including the three foundation packs, the stress pack, the anxiety pack and the sleep pack. The difference of my mental state is immense. Currently, I am one subject away from completing my Masters degree at University, and my life is back on track. Mindfulness meditation has made a significant improvement in my life my mental wellbeing. Along with changing my diet, exercising more and doing brain training, Headspace has given me clarity and a sense of calm without the side-effects of medication. I would highly recommend Headspace meditation, especially those who are affected by mental illness. Thank you Headspace, Dan