Video Transcription

Blak and forth: Coping with stress

The be-all, end-all—that’s what it feels like. Like the world’s ending. I think I had my breathing techniques, jogging, basketball—sport was a big thing. As an Indigenous man, or just as a male in general, you don’t speak out about that. That’s where we need to stand up, put a hand up, and say we need help.

I finally reached out to my friends and got a psychologist, but going back home, going back out in the bush—that actually made me calm down. That was a good relief. Being around my mob and seeing them made me feel a bit better and got me through high school.

I had my dog, Felicia. Felicia was the biggest support. It was nice to have my attention on her. That was such a stress relief—looking after an animal when they’re looking after you. It’s such a nice relationship.

Music was definitely my biggest coping mechanism. Whatever emotion I was feeling, I would listen to music. I allowed myself to be in that mood. I didn’t try to switch it up.

Music could really influence my vibe and emotions. If I was feeling really down, I’d listen to upbeat music. If I was staying up late to do an assignment, I’d play hype music—like Megan Thee Stallion. If I needed a bit of funk, I’d go for something like disco.

Then I’d go to mellow tracks, calming music like Franco Cisa. Classical music worked too.

Find what makes you feel good. For me, I leaned on my family a lot when things got stressful—my mum, my dad, my siblings, my niece, and nephews.

We’d go fishing a lot when I was super stressed. I’d always tell my dad, “I need to go camping. I need to see a campfire.” My dad would be like, “Yeah, all right. Let’s go fishing. Let’s detox.”

That was huge for me—family time.

When I was in Year 12, my older brother had just had a baby. Whenever I was super stressed, I’d go out to his house and hold my niece.

You look at a baby and think, “Yeah, the world’s not that serious.” It’s humbling. Year 12 is not that serious. Here’s a whole little human being.