Читать книгу The Road to Resilience - Adam Przytula - Страница 9

Introduction

Hey. I'm Adam Przytula and I run a social change enterprise called Armed For Life. You may have heard me (or one of my colleagues) speak at your school. We talk about some of the real issues you might be dealing with now or challenges you might be faced with in the coming years.

Why I wrote this book

I really struggled growing up. I was bullied every single day from Year 4 until the end of Year 12. At home, my parents were always fighting until I was in Year 8 when they got a divorce and Mum moved out.

My parents before their divorce

I didn't know how to reach out and talk about what I was going through.

I thought I had to act tough and ignore the bullies. I tried to push down all my negative feelings. My life spiralled downwards until Year 10 when things got so bad, I almost ended my life.

And I know I'm not alone.

Fast‐forward 16 years to 2010. I was in my last semester of uni, studying to become a teacher. One day while working in a school, a student walked past me with his head cast downwards, biting his nails. I could feel the pain radiating from within him. I recognised myself: this kid was a younger me. He was trapped in pain and misery, just as I had been. At that moment, I knew I had to do something, and Armed For Life was born.

What I did next

I decided to start going into schools and talking to students openly and honestly about what I went through at school. As a student, I'd been too ashamed to speak out about what I was thinking and feeling, and I didn't know I should have spoken out. I wanted students who were in a similar position to know they weren't alone. There is help out there. They deserve to be listened to, supported and respected.

Home truths

It wasn't easy. I began talking to students about the real issues we all face in life, but I hadn't faced up to my own problems. I went through two messy divorces and a mental breakdown before I finally realised I needed to stop blaming other people for my problems and start taking responsibility for my own mental health and wellbeing.

I made a lot of mistakes and fell back into old, self‐destructive behaviours countless times. But I worked hard to keep moving forward and I'll tell you about how I did it in this book.

How this book will help you

Some of the issues we face in life can be really challenging. Resilience is our ability to bounce back when times get tough. But this isn't something we're born with; it's a learnt skill. It's something we can get better at.

You might not have been through the same things that I've been through, but the tools in this book will arm you with the ability to face up to any challenge in life. No matter what your personal goal is (you might want to kill it in your exams or become an actor, start feeling good about yourself or make some new friends), the principles are the same.

Let me show you how.

Adam Przytula

Director, Armed For Life