#reluare

luna e locul de unde
bunicile ne țin de mână peste timp
atunci când simt că ne e teamă,
nopțile
în care somnul nu-i decât un pește

pământul e un podium uriaș,
impunător, unde defilăm toți
în același timp cu poveștile noastre,
copii în corpuri prea mari pentru noi,
copii pierduți care strigă, dansează și vor
să-ți arate, fiecare din ei,
că povestea lui, a lui și doar a lui,
e cea mai mișcătoare dintre toate.

timpul e un uriaș indiferent
care se uită la noi și râde.
nu vindecă
nimic, doar ne lasă
rănile să prindă cicatrici
și aruncă peste ele ironic praf,
adevăratul praf de stele,
uitarea.

dragostea e acel ceva
de dincolo de mintea omului,
o punte-ntre aici și lună,
singurul
lucru fără de care nu se poate trăi.
putem exista fără dragoste o viață-ntreagă,
de trăit
începem doar abia când
o găsim.

5 reasons why we need mental health advocates

We’re living, as many of us can tell, interesting times. The pandemic has forced us to see the real dimensions of some issues often put aside from the public conversation. It showed us how those things we claimed to be not important enough to be prioritized had an impact on so many areas of our lives. And the mental health, the caregivers, were two of the things we’ve finally got to see that can not be postponed anymore.

Because, as much as we wouldn’t want to admit it, there is a great need for mental health services. There are people in need that can not afford the costs of their therapy sessions. There are no programs to support people’s access to mental health services. And there is for sure necessary to have mental health advocates. Here’s why.

  • Mental health issues occur at earlier ages than before

It ain’t easy being a child or a teenager in this era. Everything has to happen now to be relevant, and the pressure is huge. Family pressure, peer pressure, social pressure, everything has an impact on our children’s mental health. And there are enough studies that warn us about the symptoms of anxiety and depression having a rise in the age group 10-13. Our pre-teens are not alright, and their mental health is just as important as their physical one. What are we actually doing for them?

  • Mental health is a matter of public interest

There is no single aspect of someone’s life to not be affected by their mental health status. It affects their consuming behaviors, work patterns, productivity, empathy, ways of interacting with other people, everything one could possibly think about. In extreme cases, it is a matter affecting public safety, as well as the individual’s safety. And there is no responsible society letting their most vulnerable citizens deal with this on their own.

  • Mental health affects everyone’s lives

Mental health issues are not individual but systemic issues. They are the result of living in a hostile society. But they also have an impact at a social level: people needing mental healthcare are harder to be included on the job market, have less social ties, and sometimes become bargains for their close ones. Things that could be avoided if there would be a support system that would tackle the mental health challenges from their very beginning. If only there would be someone there to actually take the time and listen.

  • The social stigma associated with mental health services prevent people from seeking help

This is, besides the political and institutional aspects, one of the greatest challenges of anyone who’s advocating for mental healthcare. The associated stigma, which is still very powerful.

Besides the financial aspects, as for many people the psychotherapy sessions are not immediately affordable, they also have to fight the associated stigma. Because the belief that someone seeing a psychotherapist is a misfit remains, despite all the mental health awareness and resources across the Internet, still powerful and common.

These are just a small part of the reasons that make mental health a political matter. Because it concerns each and every one of us. Because it could be you or someone dear to you that’s going to struggle tomorrow. Because having a safety net that’s been well-built is an incredible asset in times of extreme uncertainty. Because mental health is health. There’s no such thing as harmful as the separation between physical and mental health. They’re both essential parts of what’s called being human. 

Because being an advocate for mental healthcare is one of the bravest things one can do. It takes courage and an in-depth understanding of their privilege to come and stand up for such a vulnerable matter. In the long run, though, it remains a battle that, if chosen by many, will benefit us all. But for that day to come, there’s a need for activists and advocates of the seemingly easy to understand idea that mental health is just as important as the health of our bodies.

#falie

uși trântite. glasuri. același
zid de sentiment și sentimentalisme.
o frază, nouă cuvinte.
ruptura
crește, și tot crește, și crește.

între noi s-a așternut iarna,
femei
fiecare înfruntând propriul crepuscul.
patru litere cât o condamnare,
presiunea
de a alege: viața ta sau datoria?

neputința crește la sân
falii tot mai mari,
mai crude, mai de necuprins.
fiecare
plâns înăbușit, vorbă reținută se-așterne
literă pe certificatul constatator
al decesului legăturilor afective.

revendicările păstrate pentru sine opresc
orice posibilă reconciliere.
conflictul
erodează tăcut, conștiincios apropierea
dintre elevă și maestre.

oboseala de după plâns adâncește
prăpastia-n care aluneci singură
alege-te, dacă poți.
cine
poate trăi, în locul tău, de două ori?