Mental health issues can stick with you your whole life, even as you heal. Young people need the support of the older generations of people in their lives. Knowing you aren’t alone in your feelings, and that other people have experienced what you feel, is crucial to the process of healing. Being open is the bridge that will connect us all to each other.
I chose the word “seen” because sometimes people feel invisible or unheard, like they don’t have anyone to talk to. True friendship doesn’t always come right away – you often have to wait patiently. That was my experience in elementary school, where I felt alone and mostly turned to screens for comfort. But when I started middle school, everything changed; I made real friends who cared, listened, and truly saw me.
I know how it feels to be in hopeless situation where letting go is scarier than the abuse you endure by staying. Sometimes, your anchors aren’t enough to keep you steady, not when someone in your life seems to think they can tell you how much you’re worth. I think there’s at least one person out there who needs to hear this: you decide your worth, not anybody else.
This is a personal narrative reflecting on an experience where I saw how justice or the lack of it can shape how we see fairness, people, and the world. It shares how a moment involving someone else helped me think more deeply about what justice really means.
Life is never easy, but it’s harder on some people than others. Sometimes as friends or family members, we can’t tell when a person needs our help or support. I’d like to think that our anchors do see our struggles, and that they lend themselves to us so we can see past our anxiety.
Sometimes we have to take things a day at a time, and for many people the melodies of their favorite songs are the reason why they persevered to tomorrow. Some days, it’s a battle to make it to see the sunrise of the next. For many, they use their headphones to run to tomorrow. Your mental health does need to be noticed, but I believe that sometimes a motivator to make it to the next day is more crucial. You shouldn’t ignore your mental health or any signs, but it’s okay to turn to an anchor, such as music, to make it to tomorrow. Because tomorrow will be better.
This poem tells the story of a restless traveler who is driven by an unquenchable thirst for adventure and discovery. Rather than seeking wealth, power, or comfort, they are guided by an inner light—representing courage, curiosity, and the desire to explore the unknown.
The traveler journeys through various landscapes, from deep forests and stormy seas to golden cities and untamed wilderness. They face hardships, including storms, battles, and isolation, but their determination never wavers. Unlike those who settle down or seek security, they are destined to keep moving, learning, and evolving.
The poem suggests that some people are born with an innate need to wander, to seek meaning beyond the ordinary. It ends with an invitation to the reader: if they, too, feel the call of adventure, they should embrace it and become part of the timeless “song” of those who refuse to be confined by limits.
Ultimately, it’s a poem about the spirit of exploration, the beauty of the unknown, and the courage to follow one’s own path.
This piece was greatly inspired by the 2024 election and the way our human rights as women are declining. My piece reflects that idea of women fading away to being treated as second class citizens. It also represents the reality with the wrong man coming into power that will continue this shift back in time. I would say this piece properly represents the injustice that is taking place right now. I hope this makes us women feel unified and rise up in a difficult time.
When I think of self-care and taking care of my mental health, I connect my experience to my family. We learn a lot–most times unknowingly– about how to go through life by seeing how our family and ancestors have. We do the same and sometimes we try to break into our own path too. For me, I find comfort in cultural and familial traditions in times where I feel ungrounded. Something as simple as finding the time to make coffee in a special way that my family does, grounds me. Its something that brings me back to myself.
It helps students reach out to other students or someone they trust to be able to talk about their feelings or something there struggling with so they don’t have to bottle it up.