7,298 total views
It’s okay not to be okay. Societal pressure forces one to believe that it is abnormal to have a mental illness and that one must be mentally fine. Society regards people who’re unhappy or suffering from a mental illness as weak and frowns upon them. On the contrary accepting having a mental illness and trying to improve your condition is what shows true strength. This poem talks about society’s perceptions on depression and mental illness and how it further negatively impacts those who are mentally distressed.
Disarrayed thoughts, a nervous heart beat,
A shivering soul, but a smile on the face,
She shouted to society, “I am not okay!”
They refused to accept it, they told her she was fine,
They forced her to believe that she was on cloud nine.
They pressurized her into saying that she was okay,
She knew the truth but there wasn’t much she could say,
She had to break the shackles without anyone by her side,
She laughed with her peers and alone she cried,
She tried to voice herself but was oppressed,
Just because they believed she couldn’t be depressed.
She could see herself drowning in the vicious circle of life,
How she tried to end this turmoil and strife,
This went on till she had nothing else to give,
She continues to exist in you and me but she doesn’t live.-Anvesha Saraf-