A Journey of Healing and Self-Discovery

There are many parts that make us all into a whole. These parts can’t be separated. They are all intertwined. There are many parts to me.

I grew up in a family violence context. A first generation Australian, born to Eastern European refugee parents, living in Melbourne. A lot was kept hidden, swept under the carpet if you like. If we don’t talk about it, perhaps it doesn’t exist. If we don’t ask for help, perhaps we don’t need help. Help seeking was definitely not modelled within my family and was not part of what I knew. Hiding things away was the norm. It seemed like the only option. Best to keep quiet. Don’t say anything.

Through my teens I had issues with disordered eating and eating disorders. My twenties and thirties were informed by alcohol and substances. I put myself in many risky situations and at times seemed to have little regard for life. My mental health was clearly in need of support.

But if I don’t admit it, perhaps it’s not true. I’ll be alright. Have another drink.

It took me until my late thirties to realize that I needed some supports in my life, to realize that help seeking was a strength, not a weakness.

Then came the diagnoses. Diagnoses that seemed to identify how broken I was, but actually helped me to understand myself, giving me a strength that I had never felt before. PTSD, Anxiety, Body Dysmorphia, Autism, ADHD, Fibromyalgia … things finally made sense. Perhaps “labels” come in handy after all. Isn’t it funny how someone so broken, so disjointed, so in need of support and help, can feel so whole? Now, halfway through my life, in my late forties I feel more myself, more whole, than I ever have before. I am a late diagnosed Autistic individual. I also have ADHD, a chronic health condition and mental ill-health.

I share my story openly with the aim of reducing stigma. Perhaps my story will give someone else the strength they need to reach out for supports or to get through another day. Perhaps someone will feel connected and not so alone. Perhaps my story will help someone else figure out a little more of their own story.

In 2023 I started my own business, Practice Inclusion. Practice Inclusion is a Lived and Living Experience consultancy. I offer consultancy, advisory, coaching, training and facilitation services. I am now an advocate for help seeking, for gaining supports, for the sharing of Lived and Living Experience.

Written by Natasha Siryj