Behind the likes and shares.

This is dedicated to everyone fighting depression and other forms of mental illness.

Write. Backspace. Re-write. 

Just a couple of clicks on your keyboard can make such a huge difference. We’ll never know the struggle of earlier writers: Scratching out words, ripping out paper, ink smudging across the pages and staining our hands. We face none of that. There is no actual proof of our struggles, much like many of the struggles we face in this day and age.

You want to scream. You want to cry. You want to let it out. But social paralysis takes precedence. No matter how hurt you are, you can’t exhibit it. Forcefully pressing the + button and draining yourself in loud music acts like a slow drug, numbing your thoughts and ideas; just as you get into the musical moment your battery dies out on you. Typical, Just your luck.  

Get your phone out and scroll aimlessly through various social-media app homepages. As predicted: some dog-filters selfies on Snapchat, hopeless and pretty pointless political arguments on Facebook, and some foodporn on Instagram. But wait... A new social trend has emerged. Depression-hotlines and pretty worthless and hypocritical posts shared by the most pretentious people you are acquainted with reassuring you that they are here to talk to you. When all you need is them to stop talking about you. 

Post. Like. Share.

There, you’ve done it too. Give yourself a pat on the book for complying with this new trend. Now go back to pondering over the futility of life and let the discouraging voices in your head take the stage. You drift through various activities during your day, faking a smile once or twice to reassure those around you that you are very much normal, before isolating to the sounds of your inner-most demons. 

Why can’t we just press the ‘backspace’ bar on our life? Delete the history? Re-write it in our own way? It just doesn’t work like that. What can you do? Reflect and recognise. Enjoy the solitude so that it doesn’t suffocate you. Control the anger and irritability so it doesn’t throttle you in your sleep. Stop Re-playing what could’ve, would’ve or should’ve happened. Accept it. Scream for help, look around. You aren’t a display of weakness, it takes strength to come out and recognise the symptoms. Believe in yourself, aim for the stars so you can reach the sky. 

Breathe. Identify. Accept. Prioritise yourself. 

Reviews

[Tony Jordan]

I think that even in the days before social media, people executed their own agendas face-to-face (or behind your back) and that it's always been that way. Fakers have always existed as much as genuine guys but without the clues of body language and the intuitive hints that come from personal contact, social media is going to call for a wave of/from evolution as we struggle to weed out the fakers online.

[EJ's Horror]

I love it, best metaphor EVER!!!

[Soomro]

The best short writeup that I have come across so far.