General News
17 June, 2025
Riley is looking to lift the stress
Twenty-one-year-old Riley Preston is using his social media influence to help people facing mental health issues find support and friendship among like-minded individuals.
Mr Preston lives in Warracknabeal and has almost 30,000 followers on his platform.
He's an influencer with a message. "It is always better to be here tomorrow!"
"No matter how low you get, it can always get better," he said.
People can join his live platform, share their experiences, and help build each other up.
"We get together and just talk about what challenges we face, and by sharing ours, we can help each other through the dark times," he said.
He believes the benefit of having an online platform is the immediacy.
"When people are in a dark place, they can't wait for weeks for an appointment, which can often be the case in rural Victoria; they need someone to talk to immediately," he said.
However, Mr Preston encourages people to seek professional help and doesn't suggest his site is a replacement for professional help.
It is a place where people can share their challenges and support each other, but it does not offer medical or mental health advice.
He said issues discussed by people who join him on the live nighttime platform include the cost of living, homelessness, relationship breakdowns, family troubles, difficulty providing groceries for themselves or family, death and suicide.
He is concerned there is still a stigma attached to admitting you have anxiety or asking for help.
"There is still that, come on mate, there's work to be done attitude, and that approach is no help," he said.
"It adds more stress to someone struggling.
"I wanted to develop a platform that would help lift the stress off people's shoulders."
Building people up and making them realise they are not alone is his daily purpose.
"I make videos, sometimes crazy ones, but if it makes people laugh or makes them comment, they are focussing on me and my video instead of what may be challenging them, and for that moment, I hope they are lifted out of their troubles," he said.
Riley admits to being 'an anxious kid'.
"I didn't feel part of the in-group at school and saw my first therapist when I was about 10," he said.
"I just felt like I didn't fit in. I was confused about why I felt that way. I had a good family, a nice home, good food and freedom."
He was experiencing sleep disturbances and nightmares about school and his teachers.
Based on his experience, he now wants to encourage teachers to be trained to recognise that not all students fit the general education model.
"Everyone should get an education, I believe that, but it took two teachers in my life to recognise that I learned a different way to make a difference in my life," he said.
"One, in particular, would tell me to relate specific parts of my school work to skateboarding or riding my scooters, and if I could work out the maths or science problem that way, she would pass my work, and that helped me immensely.
"She found a way to meet me at my level of understanding."
If he was too hyper in class, another teacher would tell him to shoot some hoops instead of telling him to calm down.
He left school in year 10 and began an apprenticeship in carpentry but returned to school in year 11 because he missed his mates.
He says teachers should be there for all students, and he hopes that in the future, he'll be able to use his experiences in the education field.
Making YouTube videos in year 12 with his mates helped him realise there was an audience online, and he could reach people across the globe with his message - no matter what is happening, "it can be flipped to the positive," he said.
Having ADHD has been a challenge for Riley, but he had a supportive family who always encouraged him to speak out and share his experiences to help others.
The combination of support from teachers and family allowed him to explore opportunities outside the norm, setting him on the path to a successful online career with a purpose.
This 21-year-old who spent his birthday earlier this month with his online 'family' has a message for anyone struggling: get help.
"Don't bottle it up. Call someone. Talk to someone," he said.
"Realise you are not the only one to have this struggle, everyone has struggles in life, everyone faces difficulties, you are not weak for sharing yours."
The journey from prank school videos to mental health awareness, combined with a successful marketing plan, has seen the once self-titled 'anxious kid' become a successful advocate and businessman.
"I have no medical qualifications, just experience, and I just want to help keep people here another day," he said.