This piece comes from a moment where I noticed a pattern of keeping things to myself and was able to trace how it’s impacted me since then. Keeping things to yourself without really processing them, talking about them, and working through them can impact your mental health and your relationships with loved ones. Supressing your thoughts and feelings makes healing from things more challenging.
My poem addresses the universal theme of the accepting mistakes and the burden of perfection, as well as expressing a desire for reassurance and care. I wanted to capture the delicate balance between vulnerability and strength while emphasizing the power of communication and understanding in fostering meaningful connections.
Every day almost feels the same, especially when you are supposed to be a top student and feel obligated to get everything done perfectly. When I’m working endlessly until the day is over, my window serves as a reminder of how much I miss those days when I had time to go outside, go biking, and hang out with family instead of being in my room constantly.
My submission is about how I wish parents and other adults would listen to us students and children, not to say that they don’t listen but that they don’t hear us. I want this to be fixed and I want adults to hear my message and think about how they often ignore our feelings because they are scared.
Being strapped down by the depression of my daily life interrupts everything I do. My worst fear is disappointing my parents and not being able to meet the most simple expectations. […] The hardest thing for me to tell my parents is that I TRIED to get up but couldn’t.
Silencing your child anytime they are trying to express something to you is a drastic setback for them; over time, it affects their capability to communicate and express their emotions to you. Don’t limit their voice and listen to them.
This submission is a letter showing love to my family. It also shows them where I am with my mental health.
I wish my parents understood the complexity of emotions and mental health in their children. It’s easy for parents to get caught up in the chaos of raising a family, but it’s essential to pause and acknowledge that children have very real emotions that shouldn’t be overlooked just because they’re young.
I made a PSA that a radio show host might make in between two songs. I wanted to make it quick and lighthearted but still informational. The specific problems I talked about are things that I sometimes see parents do, but I think everyone could do this a little bit more.
“All it takes is one message to ask if someone is ok. It may be hard to reach out, but in the end it will be worth it. I believe it’s important to share how we feel. We should feel no shame in telling our friends about our mental health.”