Happy Tuesday loves! Hope everyone's week is off to a great start. I recently became aware of a movement called "The Semicolon Project" which was inspiring to me. It doesn't seem to be very popular yet but the word is spreading. The idea is to promote public awareness in the support of the fight against suicides and self harm in teens. My younger cousin, who is in her teens, posted a picture of her wrist on a popular social network called Instagram with the ; symbol drawn on it in support of this cause so I decided to look into it. This is quickly spreading on other social network sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr from what I have seen. Many have taken it to the extreme to get the symbol tattooed on their body. The mission states that "April 16th, all who self harm, are suicidal, depressed, unhappy, have anxiety, has a broken heart, or have lost a loved one, draw a semicolon on your wrist. Semicolons represent a sentence the author could have ended but chose not to. You're the author, the sentence is your life." It's a mark, Lewis Thomas has said, that offers "a pleasant little feeling of expectancy; there is more to come."
Growing up I had a very close friend of mine who was into cutting and self harm. I never really understood it at the age we were at. Sadly we were only in middle school. I was very concerned with her behavior and it seemed like more and more kids were doing this. Some say its a cry for help and others think its just a way to get attention. Either way things like this should be taken very seriously. I also witnessed a friend in high school try to overdose by taking pills while drinking. We walked in on him passed out in his living room with the evidence scattered all over the floor. There are people out there struggling with sadness and are just afraid to talk about it. Although I have never participated in cutting myself, nor will I ever, I can relate in the sense that I have been in a very depressed state in my life. The feeling is real. Its hard to deal with and you feel like you are stuck with no way out. Its even harder to overcome when the people who contibuted to your depression dont take you seriously and continue to make a mockery out of the situation. This is one of the reasons why I was interested in learning more. Anyone suffering from any type of depression should know that they are not alone reguardless of how they might feel and I am totally for spreading awareness. Depression affects more people than we realize and although self harm sometimes may not be intentional, it can lead to serious consequences such as death.
My story is personal so only a few minor details will be shared. To make a long story short if you have been following my blog and/or tumblr page, I was recently in a relationship that lasted about a year that was destructive to my well-being. I was depressed and though I felt like I was alone everyday for 7 months, I really had the biggest support system that anyone could ever imagine. I shut people out but they still let themselves in despite my attitude. Friends and family may have been frustrated and fed up but never once gave up on me. One night my girlfriends stepped in because they were worried and got my parents involved. I was angry at first, but I have them to thank for saving my life. Two months later after removing myself completely from a toxic situation and accepting help, I have my life back. I am starting to know what true happiness is again. This is what we need as an example to our youth who self-inflict pain upon themselves. There is a way to survive! My life is too precious and it would devastate my friends and family if anything were to have happened to me. Any human life is too precious and if you think you are alone you aren't. There are plenty of support groups that are willing to provide the help you need. Nothing in this world is worth taking a life over, especially your own.
Although time heals the wounds and the hurt, the scars never fade away. There will always be a reminder of your past, where you've been and how far you have come. This will only make you stronger, you are a survivor and can overcome even the darkest of times. So in support of the cause I drew the semicolon on my wrist pictured above. I hope this raises awareness and becomes larger than life. Its ok to reach out and seek help, together we can save a life!
“It has been said, 'time heals all wounds.' I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone.”
― Rose Kennedy
― Rose Kennedy
What are your thoughts? I'd love to hear everyones views on this.
http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI just want you all to know that the project is not what it created for anymore. I was one of the people behind the project and the project got in the wrong hands. My partner within the project turned against me and told me to kill myself and had people threatening to kill me. Since this partner was in the UK nothing could be done. Please know that this project is now nothing more than a breeding ground for my old partner to take advantage of the weak and gain money off of someone else’s hard work. If anyone needs help or encouragement please come to the new site created: https://www.facebook.com/semicolonmovement. You are all loved and worth so much.
ReplyDeleteAny symbol can mean anything to anyone. As long as it helps people help others is what matters
ReplyDeleteMy next tattoo is going to be ;Hope over my heart
ReplyDelete