The challenge of ‘surviving’
Survival strategies suppress feelings of disappointment, detachment, helplessness and hopelessness, and enable people to function, sometimes at quite high levels, despite a loss of identity, low self-confidence and self-esteem. These coping mechanisms help people keep going but when left unattended, they not only stop people from growing healthily and thriving but they also often reduce mental wellbeing. Often, these survival strategies include conscious and unconscious self-harming processes such as risky sexual behaviors; abuse of drugs and alcohol; suicidal ideas and practices and may lead to mental health problems.
FS2T: a valuable contribution to an age old social problem
It is well-recognised that mental ill-health is very costly – financially, socially, individually and to families, and that there is great wisdom in prevention. Therefore, the FS2T project with its capacity for disrupting stigma; breaking taboos; educating about the signs of diminishing mental wellbeing and helping people to learn how to thrive – even in adverse and hard situations – is an invaluable contribution – not only to the communities it serves but to the whole of society.
