Mental As Anyone

Interview with the wonderful Melbourne Comedian Liza Dezfouli, who is on a mission to challenge ageism and sexism with her comedy. Liza is involved with a theatre ensemble featuring older women, who perform a show called Unhoused, which references some of the cast’s genuine experiences of homelessness. We discuss: The invisibility of older women in society, the experience of long-term depression and techniques to manage it, the importance of reminding herself that the situation always changes, treating mental illness like the flu: give yourself time and space to go to bed, rest and absolve yourself of the responsibility of engaging with the world for a while, the benefits of gardening, the relentless positive images from modern society that falsely imply people’s lives are perfect and how this can wear us down, giving her disordered/depressed thoughts a voice by writing them down, challenging and refuting negative thoughts, the importance of finding a way to not be threatened by negative emotions, the power o