One of the most debilitating mental health challenges is the idea of anxiety. Anxiety is often connected to stress. But one of the other pieces of anxiety and stress is the idea of fear. As children we are presented with things in our lives that for some reason or another we fear. It maybe the sound of thunder or the big dog next door, but either way these things trigger an emotion within us that may not be understood by others or difficult for us to explain. What we don't realize is that this fear that we gain as a child may manifest itself into our minds as adults. Some of us are able to move forward while others live in fear of many things unfortunately for a lifetime. In this collection we address different areas of fear in hopes that by talking about it in a way that removes the boogeyman under the bed we're also gaining an understanding that sometimes the things we fear, and sometimes mental health is not something that is easily put into words for everyone to understand. Sometimes it is a deep threatening feeling or an inability to breathe or a challenge of doing day-to-day tasks that manifests itself in fear.
Fear: What I Fear Most, Clouded Mirrors, Fear Freedom
What do I fear most?
I dip the edge of my toe into the deep end of the pool
The water is cold
Though sweat rolls down my cheeks
Onto my shirt
Not knowing what to do next
Or
I hold the bar
Seeking balance
A tightrope
Without the fall
But in my mind
I am living in the fall
Life is the fall
Or
I worry that if I don’t remind myself
To breathe that I may die
But subconsciously
Minds are special in that way
Working without effort
And yet
Daily
Mind says to me,
“in and out and in and out”
Falling asleep creates fear
More fear
Fear is like the best friend that I loved for so long
But no matter how much they hurt me
And no matter how many times I close the door on them
Lock them out
Tell them to leave me alone
The next morning
Every next morning
Today’s next morning
I awake and they are still there
Sitting on the edge of my bed
Putting on their socks and shoes
As they prepare to spend another day
Running through my head
Ruining my ability
To allow other things to thrive in there
In me