Love Letters and Lace

It makes me sad when I hear people disregarding taking for granted hating or wanting to change their bodies Don't you see how beautiful you are? What a miracle you are? All these cells combining to form tissues, combining to form organs, working together in systems All so seamlessly and tirelessly How your brain is capable of such creative and inspiring things How your heart continues to beat, even while you sleep even when you run so hard you think it might leap out of your chest even when you're so broken hearted, you feel as though the pieces will never fit together again Do you not see your uniqueness How not one individual is exactly like you Those stretch marks Those freckles Those scars and bruises and little hairs Those things you despise so much Are just some of the things that make you, you You probably don't know How your eyes sparkle when you smile And that your smile is so warm and inviting Or that your laughter contagious An

We've come a long way in terms of decreasing the stigma that surrounds mental health and illness, but we're far from it being gone completely. Our society places such a high importance on the biomedical model of health that to many still, physical illness seems more legitimate than mental illness. And while both can be equally distressing, there tends to be more sympathy given to those with physical illnesses, while mental illness is seen as a sign of weakness, as though it is something we should be able to overcome easily. You may not agree with what I'm saying. You may think we've come a long way in empathizing with those with mental illness and we're much more understanding now. But ask yourself: would you ever call in to work and say that you won't be coming in because you're feeling very anxious? Because you're feeling so incredibly sad, you don't even want to get out of bed? Because something inside you feels incredibly wrong, even though