Dare To Live

The topic of connection keeps headbutting my curiosity lately. It's stubbornly demanding to be explored and the more I unravel the intricate twine of the topic, the more I see there is to understand. So I figure I could do with making a start on it.. Connection permeates so many areas of our lives and the functioning, well-being and conditioning of our society as a whole. It has an intense capacity to grow, nurture and mend so many of our perceived issues, yet I think sometimes, we're not really sure how to even utilise it. Social media subtly confuses our definition of friendships, the line between surface level and genuine exchanges is blurry, we're losing ourselves in attempts to find others.  It's as though we're told the opportunity to connect is right there, right in front of us, and we can see it, we can, but in reaching out we hit a pane glass window instead. We can see but we can't feel. We're looking in from the outside. And we're just endi

The idea of this one arose almost a year ago after a weekend of spoken word poetry that sparked some exploration of my own observations.  When we're not ourselves and suffocated in the struggle of our own mental health challenges, we don't notice the world around us. We're so bogged down, so immersed in negativity that we don't even see the option of coming up for air every once in a while. The beauty of the world is of little interest, the colours fade to grey, we become numb to our surroundings and our own day to day lives.  Choosing to do something about this way of living is the beginning of waking up to the world we're a part of and deciding to really feel part of it. It takes its time, but committing to seeking better for ourselves is how we learn to focus our eyes onto the positives that are weaved into every sight. We can't shift our perspective without making an effort to see things differently, and it's with this repeated effort that I aw

Anxiety can be a crippling feeling. It can rise within us in waves, awakening tingling tension in the pit of our stomachs, trickling down our backs in a cold sweat, freezing our feet firmly to the ground, unable to move yet trembling from top to toe.  It can take hold seemingly out of nowhere, keeping us stuck, keeping us locked away, keeping us isolated.  I've personally known a life punctuated with panic attacks and I understand what it's like for those pinpricks of perturbation to entirely take over. I understand the overwhelming feeling of incapability, the convincing current of 'can't' crippling any plans on the cards for the day.  And now I personally know a life without.  Anxiety now is exactly as it was intended all along - it's a feeling and is recognised as such. Like tiredness, hunger or sadness; it's a signal. When we listen to these signals and respond, they don't take over. Hunger doesn't lead to starvation, tiredness n