Some days, things build up. You might snap over something small or feel unsettled for no clear reason. For many First Nations people, it goes deeper than stress. It’s about connection, culture, and care that recognises where you’re coming from. When social health and wellbeing are stretched thin, everything else feels harder.
Support doesn’t have to come from a counsellor or clinic, and it doesn’t have to feel formal. It might be a yarn with an Aunty, a weaving group, or someone checking in because they’ve noticed signs.
Support that carries more than one load
You don’t need a diagnosis to feel out of sorts. Disconnection from Country, grief passed down through generations, or feeling isolated, even in your own family or community, takes a toll. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, social health and wellbeing are a foundation, not an extra.
Maybe you’re already holding space for others. Perhaps you’re just trying to keep your own feet on the ground. Either way, it helps to check what’s strong and missing and what could be rebuilt.
Care shaped by culture and community
Support hits differently when it comes from people who understand. In the community, healing often means sitting with others who’ve been through it, where you don’t need to explain every detail. Where culture is understood, not questioned.
That’s why many services now combine clinical care with cultural support. You might find:
- Healing camps, weaving groups or men’s yarning circles
- Counselling with Aboriginal health workers
- Help with tracing and reconnecting with family
- Cultural activities that bring people together on Country
What makes support steady and useful
Not all care lands well. If you’ve sat through a rushed appointment or felt dismissed, you know what that looks like.
The services that work tend to:
- Give you time to speak without pressure
- Involve family or Elders if that makes sense
- Let you share your story in your own way
- Come from people who practise cultural safety, not just say the words
When support feels steady, you’re no longer managing alone. You’re more able to make decisions, face challenges, and notice the shifts in yourself.
Building a stronger SEWB workforce
More Aboriginal workers are being trained to support this kind of care, not just with certificates, but with knowledge rooted in lived experience. Trauma-aware care, proper case management, and cultural learning are part of it.
Programs like Aboriginal Mental Health First Aid and RTO-led training are helping grow teams that can respond with care and context, which helps strengthen the whole system of social health and wellbeing, not just the frontline.
How to take stock of what’s around you
You might already have support, but if it’s in the wrong place, it might not be helping. A good GP won’t ease loneliness. And strong ties to culture won’t make it easier to manage a new medication.
Try asking yourself:
- Who listens when you talk?
- What support is nearby?
- Are there local groups or services you’ve overlooked?
- Who can walk alongside you without judgment?
You don’t need to sort it all at once. But knowing what services around you offer social health and wellbeing programmes can shift how you handle the next hard day.
Time to check what’s possible
If you’ve been feeling stuck, emotionally, socially, or spiritually, it’s worth asking what could ease the load. That might mean joining a group, having a yarn, or seeing someone local who understands your background.
Ask your local health service what support they offer. They’ll know what’s running, what’s helped others, and where to start when it comes to social health and wellbeing.