A few days ago I logged into WordPress hoping to see millions of likes, follows and the undying praises of the world flutter to my inbox—no dice.
What I did find was a scraggly post that lay atop everything else labelled: “Going to end it tonight.”
As with the rest of humanity, my intrigue was aroused.
So I read a tale of a suffering kid who wanted to off himself because things had gotten too difficult and he didn’t think anyone cared. He had previously attempted suicide and despite his attempts to survive in this world as the person he was, he felt that it was over, that it was time to leave and he didn’t think there were any other options.
And that is a damn shame.
Previously, I watched a series called “Thirteen reasons why” a fantastic point-of-view show of a girl who committed suicide. I realized that every single social interaction ultimately paves a person’s perspective on the world and essentially one interaction can be the difference between life and death.
When you are a teenager, everything is amplified and the world feels infinite, so those interactions are exponentially more indelible than anything else in life. Emotions, moments and even lyrics can span a lifetime because those things have a way of imprinting in our minds easier than any other time in our existence. I can still tell you every word of hybrid theory and I’m 27. (Rip Chester)
So I reached out to him and said what I could. I have dealt with anxiety before and know the cold crippling weight of the world on my shoulders as well because, our parents messed us up. But the truth is, I have never wanted to kill myself. In fact, if anything I wanted to be reborn and become a better version of myself. (But that’s a story for another day.)
I didn’t know this person, but I reached out because we need to care and love one another even if it all seems lost amidst a sea of words and online personas. Every interaction matters, no matter how big or how small, you can make an impact in someone’s life. (You can prevent forest fires!)
That’s right, a smile, a simple comment, asking a stranger if they need help with bags, or holding the door like Hodor did can impact others in ways you and I cannot possibly understand. We don’t know what happened in their day leading up to that moment and your interaction could be the very thing that makes them believe in humanity again. So don’t phone it in. Be that awesome person that you know you can be, because your voice matters.
We are a society that likes to pretend that everything is benign, and gloss over the details on social media. News flash, life isn’t perfect. People die, relationships end, wallets shrink (oh that’s just me?) But we paint this absolute picture of perfection online so that everyone can gobble it up and it just isn’t true.
Be vulnerable. Be courageous. It’s okay to not be okay. A ton of people are enduring their own personal struggle, so don’t be afraid to speak out about it, you might help someone else without even knowing it. The mundane meaningless platitudes that we frequent so often are helping no one. Have real conversations; take time to listen to others and open up and maybe, just maybe our world can be a better place.
If you are dealing with anxiety, reach out to someone, even if it is a stranger on WordPress at 7:00am in the morning. You might be surprised. Love is everywhere, and in the perfect words of Albus Dumbledore.
– “Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it.”
This is an amazing post and I loved reading it.
As someone who deals with anxiety it is very helpful for me and a really good read.
Thanks!
Thanks! I’m happy you liked it. This boy really hit me hard, I hope he’s ok. I was working on an anxiety post talking about how I dealt with Anxiety and this happened.
I guess that’s how life is. Thanks for your kind words! You made my day.
Wow 😮!!
You are so amazingly awesome 👏 and beautiful..
You are so full of empathy for others ..
Thank goodness 😅 you see the world 🌎 in the light that you do…
As you said.. you never know what happened to someone to feel like ending their life is the ultimate answer..
And just a comment from you.. showing you care.. can make a world of difference…
Great post..
Thank you so much for your kind words 🙂
It’s well deserved…
you earn it
Hi! Thanks for liking my recent blog post! This particular post spoke to me as someone who battles depression & someone who used to listen to Linkin Park. It was very well said.
World needs more people like you. I loved this post and your thoughts.
Hey, thank you 🙂 your kind words made my day.
☺️☺️
I appreciated reading your post, and I’m glad you reached out to that person you spoke about in your post. That’s where it all begins… 🙂
BTW, I love the lion pic… 🙂
Me too!! It was the best thing I could find. I have a great idea for a logo but I just need someone to draw it for me lol. So far this picture was the closest thing I could find.
It’s a great pic!!! 🙂
Thanks Sara! The blogging community is so beautiful because through our words we can make others feel good. Isn’t that amazing? I know when I read positive comments it makes my day that much brighter so I hope I did the same for that boy.
I’m sure you did that for him, too! 🙂
Where most people overlook, you took action. This is amazing. It’s amazing what a few kind words can do, or just lending an open ear.
Thanks for reading 🙂
I have had comments left for me on my posts, particularly those posts dealing with mental health issues, that are from very depressed and anxious people.. You’re right that we can offer them kind words and make a difference.. every voice does matter.. I’m glad you reached out to that blogger xx
Reblogged this on craig's thoughts.
This is a beautiful post. I have just heard about “Thirteen Reasons Why” and had a class debate about whether the creator is responsible for the response. At the end of the day we can only be responsible for our own actions and helping others is sometimes the only way to counteract our own demons. I hope you don’t mind if I share
No, of course you can share it. 🙂 Thanks for reading. I’m all for sharing positivity. There’s so much negativity that the media loves to feed on but the world is full of love and beautiful people and we can never forget that.
This is a wonderful post. There has been a lot of criticism about the show “13 Reasons Why”. One opposition claimed the story put too much emphasis on other’s actions–that if someone really wants to kill themselves there isn’t a lot you can do. I don’t buy that. While being nice to someone bullied may not be the anecdote, I agree with your sentiment that one never knows the impact of certain words or kind gestures. It certainly has proven true in my life.
Precisely, I believe it’s the amalgamation of every interaction. Whilst the person ultimately is the one that makes the decision, I think it really can make a difference if people give that person a reason to want to stick around. Sometimes it’s just as simple as a smile, holding a door, or talking to someone and just being nice. You just never know.
I love this post. 🙂
This post is beautiful. It’s a lot different than my kind of posts in the way that dark is the opposite to light, or that hope is the opposite of despair.
Your posts are so positive and calming whereas mine are rather bitter and passionate.
I personally think that all voices matter, regardless of where they lie on this spectrum, that is, if we strictly stick to binaries.
You are indeed right: all voices matter. It’s okay to be vulnerable, to be okay or not okay. Those voices I think will amplify to create change because when they gather together it becomes nothing-about-us-without-us rather than being alone.
(And if you did not know it by know I tend to write novels out of my replies to haha.)
Even without thinking about this, this post is still incredibly beautiful and thoughtful, and I will have to direct others here if the time and place and situation ever calls for it.
We all paint, although it may be with different colors. Darkness is beautiful as well as the light. When I was a teenager I used to paint with dark strokes of despair, but that despair helped me overcome alot of things and now I see the beauty of the world and so my strokes have changed again. Life is so wonderful and the people we meet along the way make it even better 🙂 thanks for the comment.
Like what you say Nerdy Lion from Mike
A lovely post. Wish this were true everywhere. I struggle with mental illness. If help was always given when asked for, we could save many lives…
I couldn’t agree more, I think it starts with us accepting that not everyone is ok and then getting out of our comfort zones and having honest conversations.
Yes, I think it’s the only way for us to move forward as a society with respect to mental illness.
This post brought a smile to my face because it’s always good to know that people like you are still out there. I hope that you are okay 🙂
I am exploring the answers to end anxiety as well. I can only hope that the agony and pain it has caused me will turn in to a blessing as I reach out and one day be able to help others.
You will my friend you will
We all have our battles and our own demons. Thank you for helping us all realize that we can be the thing that helps someone crawl out of their deepest darkest place. We need to find kindness in humanity again.
Thanks for your beautiful comment. I couldn’t agree more. If you see someone in a hole and you have a long rope, dangle it down and help them out. They might help someone else one day too.
A well thought after post I really liked it, mental illness should be talked about more openly and not swept under the carpet and forgotten, the more it becomes more open and talked about, then more people will seek more help and more money will go to these people that need . Tam’has
Thank you for your kind words. I agree, it’s something that needs to be talked about. That way those who have it don’t feel as isolated, that’s the worst part about it.
Thanks for talking about this.
Reblogged this on Chamomile Midnight Rambles and commented:
So, here’s another thing I wasn’t intending to do with my blog: reblogging. But this post is amazing. So, here you are. Thanks, Leo!
Thank you 🙂
This is a great post. It’s so important for people to see that what they say and do can have such a huge impact on others.
Very true 🙂 This goes for positive and negative. Words and actions can be so powerful.
Wonderful message! I agree with you, we all have our challenges in life and we need to make efforts when we can tell someone else is really “feeling low” to reach out to them, “ONE KIND WORD,” can change EVERYTHING!
Even for us, I was walking down the street the other day, thinking about my own challenges and digging deep within to stay strong and as I was crossing the street at a very busy stop light, out of the blue, a man who was pushing a cart looked up at me and said in a very happy jovial voice, “You look like that movie star” and he kept walking.
HOW FUNNY… WHAT, A movie star… he caught me off guard, he made me laugh and I thought, “a movie star,” WHY would he think that and then I noticed I had this BRIGHT PINK SCARF on, maybe THAT was it! Anyhow, it didn’t matter WHY, what mattered was “out of the blue” a complete stranger made a comment that changed my entire day. Suddenly, I was walking with a smile, wondering WHICH movie star I resembled and remembering that giving a compliment to someone takes 30 seconds and that 30 seconds can change someone’s day!
So… “The Nerdy Lion,” I love your lion photo, you look like a movie star too!! The blue hair and sun glasses, tres chic! 🙂
That. That’s exactly what I was talking about. The impact that a stranger could have! We should learn to talk to people with love in our hearts. Because it is really contagious when you share something nice with someone you don’t know, because suddenly they hold a door for another stranger and then that person goes to work and instead of yelling at his/ her employees he/she takes their side. Then they go home and actually don’t hate work. It’s a circle. Thanks for your comment! 🙂
I agree, our words have the power of life and death.
I cant tell you the number of time reaching out to post on here or receiving validation and a kind word saved my butt on the days suicidal ideation was so strong. Great post…. all so true.
This post is simply amazing – definitely one of my many favourites of yours!
What boggles my mind is something I watched in the film The Incredibles (random, I know!) but it has stuck with me ever since – “When everyone is super, no one will be”. If everyone is unique, does that mean no one is?
Since first watching The Incredibles when I was 10 years old, I have really tried to help people/friends/family as much as I can. This then amplified when my childhood friends dad past away, fairly recently, and I discovered the sheer amount of work he did within the community. I was in awe. At the grand old age of 23, I still find that taking a tiny amount of time out of your day, every day, to message/check up on/phone/buy a gift or just to simply be kind to someone can change how both you and the person views the world!!
With Christmas around the corner, I have this overwhelming feeling of trying not to let anyone be alone for this festive season. So I’m hoping to volunteer and spread the festive spirit to those who may be struggling or alone this Christmas.
Thanks for a great read! 🙂
I think it’d be really creepy if I said anymore. But I have to say this. I have just come out of a very serious depression. Though I’m not really really sure that I have truly come out of it. But it’s still a lot more better than before. And I have to tell this to anyone who’s reading this comment and feels anything less about themselves, anything right from body-shaming their own selves to feeling any less desirable or anything in the world that qualifies as being depressed… Buddy you need help. And there’s no shame in asking for it. It’s the only chance you’ve got at life and you sure as hell shouldn’t waste it by being anything less than the best version of yourself and not feeling great about it. Love yourself, no matter how crooked your nose is or how frizzy your hair is…. ❤❤❤❤
Thank you for this beautiful comment, you could never comment too much on my page I welcome all people to share their opinions. Plus someone else’s comment could help another person in the future. 🙂 thanks again! Please come back <3
I don’t know if you’re familiar with this poem Leo, but given that I just saw you like a post on my blog, maybe you are. I just read this post and thank you for it, you’re evidently clued in and in dark times the world needs all the light it can get. If you haven’t already seen it I’d encourage you to give it a listen, and excuse the branch of the tree banging against the barn during it. Mind yourself, Stephen.