The WOW Factor: Participant Rachel Shares Her Story

Words: Lily Jacobsen 

“I can try new things, make new friends and share openly with others easily” 

Rachel, a married 33-year-old woman with a one-year old child, joined our program to find a safe space for herself. She was a part of the Melbourne program that runs at URBNSURF, which is conveniently a ten-minute drive from her area. For Rachel, this might have seemed like fate. The easy parking and lovely facilitators were only the beginning of her mental health journey with WOW. 

Being a new mum with a part-time job, Rachel found it hard to prioritise time for taking care of herself. The period of adjusting to a new baby is naturally an emotional time and some parents can feel stressed, overwhelmed or sad. 

“I never get anything for myself after becoming a mother - this has become a sacred space for me” 

Rachel was eager to find somewhere where she could have some important time to focus on herself. Finding a WOW advertisement through the Hume Facebook page, Rachel took a dive into the deep blues to find herself.

At first, Rachel found the vulnerability challenging within the surf therapy conversations. Additionally, trying something new like surfing, which is out of her comfort zone, felt confronting. Over the course of the program, these fears washed away with the waves as the group setting allowed her to create a beautiful safe space. 

The closeness of her surf therapy group along with the facilitators helped Rachel identify those points in her mental health that needed some guidance. For Rachel, her physical stress has always become something she just pushed through to get everything she needed to be done. Now, Rachel can analyse her body, and her mind, and use those coping strategies WOW allowed her to discover. Rachel picked up some breathing techniques and started journaling her day to give herself mental checkpoints to make those tasks feel a little easier. 

When asked about what she would say to someone who was thinking about joining the program, Rachel stated: 

“WOW is a beautiful experience - I feel incredibly lucky to have been a part of it”

At WOW we feel incredibly grateful to help people like Rachel overcome their mental health challenges. Socially, Rachel went outside of her boundaries by meeting new people, but also opening up freely to others. What was uncomfortable to Rachel became her sanctuary. 

When asked about the most rewarding parts of the program Rachel said: “The group chats, supportive environment, the surfing, and friendships” 

Now, Rachel tries to use the new coping skills she picked up and practices mindfulness. Not to mention a new favourite hobby! Since the program, Rachel goes out to URBNSURF to catch waves regularly! She practices those breathing techniques and keeps her ‘start today’ journal to make each day that little bit easier. 

“I am so grateful to take part in this program - thank you, from the bottom of my heart” 

Here at WOW, we are proud of Rachel and what she has achieved in her mental health journey. Swell done Rachel!