Conrad – Gisborne / Auckland
“I texted my friend who said she had a nervous breakdown, so I texted her,
said that I’m willing to listen if you ever want to talk about it again, and we need to talk more about mental health problems. I’m originally from Gisborne. Been living in Auckland for the last 18 years, and I work part time as a bar tender.
I don’t think you really can help. You can just listen, and listen to what they have to say, and I learned not to try and offer suggestions because it may be different, and not talk about my own problems, but just to listen to them.
I think everybody does (struggle), and of course I have; my father passed away about three years ago and I think I still struggle with that. Hard liquor and black humour I think is the way to cope with death.
I had a great upbringing. My father’s an artist, and my mother’s from Switzerland, and so we travelled to Europe a lot, and did a lot of things, cools things like that, and yeah it was a really good upbringing, and we used to have little bike gangs, and go biking around Gisborne. So yeah, really good upbringing. I really enjoyed it.
I think healthy relationships; probably sitting around the table and eating food together. I think eating together is a really good way to have a good relationship, and I just think being open and honest, talking to each other, and I don’t know, travelling I think was probably really good for us as well.
I just reckon we’ve just got to listen to each other and, and if somebody, even if you think someone’s having problems just, just offer to help. Just to be there to listen, I reckon. That’s probably the best way to do anything.”
