If You Feel Too Much

“God must be a pretty big fan of today, because you keep waking up to it. You have made known your request for a hundred different yesterdays, but the sun keeps rising on this thing that has never been known.”

September is Suicide Awareness Month. I find myself wondering why we’re still not talking about these things as much as we should be. We’re becoming numb to the news and its depressing stories, chalking tragedies up to a mental health issue we’re neglecting to address. The act of suicide is a cry for help that went unanswered. We need to start listening.

If you know my story, you know that the tragedy has hit my family and I more than a family should have to endure. This was a new type of pain that, because of its abruptness, has no end or closure. It’s a phone call you don’t know how to make, “I’m sorry”s that don’t come out right, anger you don’t know what to do with, questions that go unanswered. I have spent the last four years of this crazy, beautiful life looking for answers in unknown places, feeling new, deep emotions, and ultimately finding a strength I didn’t know was possible. Today, I have no other desire than to advocate for prevention, for self love, and for quality of life.

Jamie Tworkowski has been a voice of hope and encouragement in my life since I was 15 or 16 years old, while I was discovering who I was and who I wanted to be. His recent book, If You Feel Too Much, has become a staple on my bedside table. This book should be a requirement for anyone entering the world. He has started the campaign “We’ll See You Tomorrow” and has touched the lives of honest and open people in over 100 countries.

Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. I dare you to be open and honest with yourself, your feelings, and to those around you. Don’t be afraid to feel too much. Open your ears and offer a smile or a hug to the people that cross your path. Choose love over all other feelings. Trust, promise, stay true, and forgive.

“We’re all in this together. It’s okay to be honest. It’s okay to ask for help. It’s okay to say you’re stuck, or that you’re haunted or that you can’t begin to let go. We can all relate to those things. Screw the stigma that says otherwise. Break the silence and break the cycle, for you are more than just your pain. You are not alone. And people need other people.” -If You Feel Too Much

We’ll see you tomorrow.
xo