Men’s Health Week 2020 – Yarning with IAHA Member Mitch Walley (Speech Pathology)
-
Who’s ya mob, where ya from and what are you studying/graduate?
I am a Noongar man who grew up in Perth, WA. My mob comes from a small country town of Goomalling two and a half hours east of Perth, where the Noongar dialect group are referred to as Ballardong people of the Noongar nation. I am a Speech Pathologist, graduated in mid-2019.
-
Who are your male role models or mentor growing up and why?
I didn’t really have many strong male role models or mentors growing up besides my dad. I had a lot of sports figures I looked up to after watching their highlights like Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali. But in essence my main role model was my Dad and understanding the sacrifices and struggles he went through growing up and providing for us had a real impact on my life.
-
Dealing with Covid-19, What are some positive coping strategies you have picked up during this time regarding your health and wellbeing?
It has been difficult with Covid-19 and being away from home, not getting the chance to go back and visit and recharge. But I guess the coping strategies I’ve utilised during this time is the same coping strategies I always use when overwhelmed and stressed. These include, shooting hoops, listening to music, reading, staying connected with other mob I’ve grown strong relationships with. I think that was the most important one was living at a time where I can so readily be connected to people through social media and facetime.
-
What positive message would you like to share for our Deadly Indigenous Men and Fellas for Men’s Health Week? (15th-21st June)
I think the best message I can send is enjoy the positives and embrace the negatives. Life has its ups and downs and a lot of the time things get tough and we go through a lot of struggles. That’s not a bad thing, we are continually growing as people and during these times it’s something to reflect on and help us really appreciate the good things in life and how appreciative we are of the people around us. Don’t be ashamed to seek help either, because more often than not we are going through similar struggles and waiting for someone to reach out. We are all in this together and we are all searching for that inner peace within us to be the best people we can be. We should be sharing that with each other. That’s how we stay connected.
https://www.menshealthweek.org.au/about/about-the-week
