Free Write (HUB)
Our suffering should not go unheard; if we bottle it up, it can, and will, destroy us. When we keep everything within our heads, they become a danger to, not only ourselves, but to those around us as well.
Depression and anxiety come to mind; those who suffer with mental illnesses often can’t communicate their emotions. Instead, they worry about anything and everything, almot obsessively; they panic when they lose control. They lash out when others try to help; they just want to be independent. They believe vulnerability is no different than weakness.
In some cases, they even begin to believe they are simply a burden to those around them, they think themselves to be worthless, when really, everbody around them just wants to help out of love. The worthlessness they feel leads to a deep, dark hole: the choice between life and death, suffering and peace. It’s an idiotic question for some, they laugh at the simplicity of ending it all. Others see the beauty in life and the many reasons to live. But those that climb up, ontp the box, and proceed to kick it out from beneath themselves do so all because they let their suffering go unheard.
Words cleanse the soul just as rain cleans the world. The water builds up uncontrollably, until the cloud in which it sits bursts, letting it fall. Emotions build up within us until we express them. Rain spreads upon the ground, away from the clouds, just like the fear in our minds float away when we release our thoughts.
When the clouds remain unable to pour rain, they simply collect more and more, until, eventually, they break, creating a storm. Storms are dangerous. Storms are terrifying. Depression, anxiety, mental illnesses are storms just waiting to wipe out those that stand before them. These storms can hurt and kill and destroy; mental illnesses can damage relationships and end lives. The rain must be released from the cloud before a storm begins to brew, otherwise, all hell breaks loose.
Dear Katie,
your message in this piece is heartbreaking but so utterly true. Too often do we let our emotions bubble and fester instead of talking them out. You’ve perfectly highlighted the absolute fear and suffocating feelings of depression and anxiety. You are so right when you say that some can easily find the will to go on while others silently struggle through. I wish that this wasn’t as true as it is, but everything you’ve ever so eloquently written here is an absolute fact.
I absolutely love the connection you made between mental illness and a storm about to boil over. ” The rain must be released from the cloud before a storm begins to brew, otherwise all hell breaks loose.” That’s such a powerful line and a beautiful metaphor. Thank you for writing this piece, it really is an eye-opener on mental illness. Wonderful work Katie.
Love, Kinda
Dear Kinda,
Thank you for sharing your kind thoughts about my piece with me. I am very happy that you enjoyed the connections I made between mental illnesses and storms.
Love,
Katie
Dear Katie,
This was truly a beautiful piece! It has helped to educate me more about the impacts of mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety. Also, I loved how you used the metaphor of clouds and the way it bursts to help express how a mental illness can feel like. My favourite line, in particular, had to have been: “Rain spreads upon the ground, away from the clouds, just like the fear in our minds float away when we release our thoughts.” The imagery just felt so vivid and real, which I really enjoyed.
Again this was a great piece. One suggestion for the future is to watch for a few spelling errors, but that did not create a large distraction in your writing.
Overall, this was a well-written piece! I am glad that I got the opportunity to read your writing this semester.
Sincerely,
Mariam
Dear Mariam,
Thank you for reading my post and leaving these lovely thoughts behind. I am very happy to have been able to educated you a little more in the areas of mental illnesses as my goal is simply to spread awareness for those whose struggles go unnoticed. Thank you for pointing out those grammatical errors; I will do my best to locate and fix them.
Sincerely,
Katie
Dear Katie,
This piece hold so much imagery that I cannot help but admire. From the connections between nature and the realities that many face, your writing creates this atmosphere of understanding that enforces the idea that mental illness is not abnormal or “special”. The fact that you wrote about it in way that made it a real-world issue really resonated with me, as it seems like so many people refer to things like depression or anxiety as distant, as something that couldn’t be impacting them or the people around them. The amount of care you put into writing this piece is very evident, as even when discussing a heavy topic, your words convey a kind of crafted passion in them (I don’t even know if that makes sense, but it’s serious and gets to the point while also being very calm and passionate). Overall, this is a beautiful crafted piece that made me think.
If I was to give you something to change about this post, I think it would simply be the length. I feel like you had some very insightful and interesting connections and points, which I honestly would have loved to see even more of. You really caught my attention, and I just wish there was a little more.
Overall, this was a very insightful read that delicately intertwined your focus with the imagery of these raging storms. Thank you for this piece, as I am very glad to have experienced the ideas you presented. I hope you had a great semester!
Sincerely, Simran:)
Dear Simran,
Thank you so much for you kind words. I will be sure to consider lengthening this piece in the future. I hope you had a great semester too! Although I didn’t talk with you very much, I enjoyed listening to all of your presentations and hard work.
Sincerely,
Katie