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Your Stories

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The first time most people realise they are not the only one, it is not because of a statistic. It is because somebody said the quiet thing out loud and it sounded familiar.

That is what this page is for.

What we are looking for

Short pieces, somewhere between two hundred and eight hundred words, written in your own words. Polish is not the point. Honesty is.

Some prompts, if a blank page is difficult:

  • The call I still think about, and what helped afterwards.
  • What I wish someone had told me in my first year.
  • The day I finally rang someone, and what it was actually like.
  • What going back to work looked like for me.
  • Something small that changed my recovery between shifts.
  • What my family has taught me about this job.

How to send it

Use the contact form on the Community page, or email us directly.

Tell us in your message how you would like the piece published: under your full name, your first name only, your role and state, or fully anonymously. You can change your mind at any point before it goes live.

We will send you the edited version before publication. Nothing goes up without you seeing it first.

What we do, and what we do not do

  • We edit for length, clarity and spelling. We do not change your meaning or smooth out the hard parts.
  • We remove identifying details about patients, colleagues and specific jobs, and we will work through that with you in a way that keeps the story intact.
  • We do not publish operational detail of specific incidents, or descriptions of method where a story involves suicide or self-harm. This follows the Mindframe guidelines for safe communication, and it protects readers who may be struggling as they read.
  • We do not pay for stories, and we do not use them in advertising.
  • You can ask us to take your piece down at any time, for any reason, and we will.

Before you write

Writing about a hard experience can bring it closer for a while. If something is still raw, it may be worth talking it through with someone before you write it down, or setting it aside for now. There will be space for it later.

If writing brings things up, Lifeline is on 13 11 14 and 13YARN is on 13 92 76, both 24 hours a day.

Every piece on this page was written by someone who was not certain it was worth sharing. Each one has since been read by people who needed it.