DESIGNED BY APRIL SEO WRITERS HAYLEY VU MADISON MACALINTAL ELEANOR LIVINGS ZACHARY MACALINTAL ZOE LAIRD
US
Please, Please ask me the questions on your mind Just say them, even if they hurt I’m afraid of your dishonesty and lies. Please, Please don’t hide anything from me There are too many secrets already I’m afraid my head will explode. Please, Please stay here with me, for just a bit We can look at the stars, let me ask you about your day I’m afraid I will lose you soon, everything turns gray... But you, You would ignore the galaxy, Or me, sadly For your own satisfaction. You, You bear a monster within, My dear, it has been too long And unfortunately, we are short of time. And I, I know all about your lies, But I decided to put on a mask To suppress my cries. I, I am stupid For trusting you And us. I, I give up.
hayley vu
THE POWER OF WATER Hayley Vu Water rinses my soul, Sometimes, I would stand in the shower Feeling the flow of water as it passes through every side of my body: Through the works of art that I created, they interlace each other Red, blue and purple, “Oh! All my favorite colors”, Through all the details that make me feel like I’m having fun While sitting in the corner, “Now, nothing can be undone”, Through the thoughts, and voices deep in my unconscious mind, Through pain of all kinds, Through And through. Water rinses my soul, Ridding my body of all the dirt Creating a new pathway that was once congested With my own beliefs, thoughts, and emotions unrested. Water rinses my soul, Bringing me to another universe Where sadness is a fever dream, All I can see is the world being serene. But that is not what I want! No! I shake the water off my body, Jolted, my skin is now touching the bathroom floor, How dare I think of a peaceful world when reality is nothing close to it? . Water rinses my soul, Water is powerful I know But, we are not ready for it yet.
NEVERENDI madison macalintal
The flames burn and breathe, Creating heat that radiates our sighs, Trailing tears burning our sight, And soaking into our soot-covered skin, Looking for a way around the fire Not knowing the only way out is through.
The flames burn and breathe, The constant pounding of our feet Against the rotted floor of this endless forest, Never remembering how this spark awakened, Where it came from, the time it struck, Only looking behind your shoulder, Finding a devil prepared to devour us, Looking for a way around the fire Not wanting the only way out to be through.
ING FLAMES The flames burn and breathe, Becoming stronger, heavier, larger, than what our fragile minds can endure, Looking for creases to take cover, hide, But it always hunts our bodies down, Throwing fallen parts of the Earth at it, But they only feed their energy and passion, Looking for a way around the fire But understanding the only way out is through.
The flames burn and breathe, Wonders from angels cooling our spirits, The ice softly melts from our eyes, Reviving our spirit and lets our pulse Sync with the heartbeat of the fire. We take a breath of the atmosphere as The awakened heavens sing for us No longer looking for a way around the fire Because we are ready to go all the way through.
UNPOPULAR BELIEF ON FLOWERS Hayley Vu
I hate flowers. They are too colorful, Too lively However, too dependent. I hate flowers Not because I actually hate them, But I hate the idea Of them having to wither. Everytime my eyes touch the petals, I wonder how much time they have left In this world, The thought devours me. I, too, have little time. Would I ever be someone I always wanted to be? Would I ever be someone that can make my parents proud? Would I ever be someone whom my dog feels like he shares a connection with? But most importantly, would I ever be...proud of myself? I have done things that I greatly regret Sometimes I just want to sleep For a long, long time Dreaming a long, long dream Where I’m the person who I want to be Loving flowers Loving the idea Loving the real me.
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Hayley Vu yesterday, my mom told me a story about her friends who once was at the peak, but nature was too Powerful knocked them over. Shocked and Scared, they suffered into a Doorless box of darkness, they quivered completely Trapped, they were Terrified not knowing what to do, they became Useless sitting on the ground, only comprehending how to cry and depending on the forces of the sky. then came the Marvelous door, standing Still, waiting for them to advance, they stay, refusing to enter, even though a better life, better everything was waiting for them. they fight. some of them lost the battle, yearning for more time, more Settled some of them won, letting out a sigh of relief, though watching a part of them disappeared... turned victory into grief.
ARE YOU LISTENING? Hayley Vu Do you hear the thunder outside? It shakes your whole room upside down, It fills your eyes with such illumination that You can see hope again. But at the same time, you murmur “Hope is a privilege at this point” Moments when You can sympathize with nature, With thunder and lightning, With all the raindrops sliding down your window Sliding down your face Getting through your battle-like skin Through all of the unspeakable pains, All the thoughts that you want to let go But they still stay. Do you hear the thunder outside? Are you actually listening to what it has to say, Or are you worried it might hurt you? I’m here to lend you the support, To lead you onto the path where You are not scared of the thunder anymore, Where you are comfortable understanding All the frustration. Though you say you can sympathize with it, You are not trying to comprehend all the Chaotic thoughts, and emotions thunder is Undergoing. Being a thunder Is complicated. Thundering is my favorite weather, Powerful, Loud and assertive, Unscared of any situation That might bring forth hardship and toils, It is my favorite weather because Thunder reminds me to be myself, to be For justice, For my own people, For people who are struggling with their lives, To be Powerful Loud and assertive Unscared of any situation That might bring forth hardship and toils. Thunder is speaking to me Through its heated screamings, Telling me what I’m doing is right, And Nature will always be with me. It is giving me the hope That I thought I have long Lost.
Eleanor Livings In this drawing I worked to highlight the great contrast between the positives and negatives of mental health. I include a variety of small illustrations surrounding the woman's head, one side full of darkness, and the other light. I centered the entire drawing around the woman's head by depicting her large hair and her mind flooded with many small designs. In general, the goal of my illustration was to show that our minds are filled with so many ideas constantly, but oftentimes the negatives and positives are forced to battle each other.
YOUTHANXIETY
Hey all! This is Victoria Yin, Sophie Mo and Zoe Laird, team members of the YouthAnxiety organization.YA is an organization that seeks to support teen mental health. Our main goal is to provide information and help for teenagers who may be in struggling situations, as well as raise awareness for mental well-being. Last year we launched a mental health forum targeted on highschoolers. We provide a platform for young people to communicate. After registering, you would upload a picture you draw, a letter you wrote, and a piece of music that you would like to recommend. It was a place to express your understanding of mental health, and support and pay attention to the mental health of adolescents. The first session of the forum was first carried out at St. Andrew’s. The event started on October 20th last year and ended on November 30th. Not only students from St. Andrews participated, they also recommended it to their friends, and students from other schools participated in this activity. In this event, many students shared their deep understanding of mental health. This year we combined the feedback we got last time, so we changed many rules. This time we only need the participants to submit a 10-second video and what they are doing at 21:50 on a normal day. This is to enable high school students all over the world to find people out there that are similar to themselves, and make them realize that they are not alone. At the same time, they can also discover people and their living habits that are different from themselves. This can also provide us with data on the academic pressure and night habits of modern teenagers.
Don’t Even Get Me Started Zachary Macalintal Don’t even get me started For when I start, there is no end But if I never start, How can I continue living? Sometimes I start Looking in the mirror for too long I try to free my nasty pores Blocked by a barrier that turns black Sometimes I start Tracing myself Feeling my imperfections Trying to erase them from existence, ‘Though they are scars Sometimes I start running Then I realize that it is A form of travel A form of passion A form of awareness A form of will A form of pure escape And then I start jogging Then start walking Then start coughing
Waiting for my breath to catch up Sometimes I start Writing About the life I am living About the life I want to live About the life that never ever could be And then My pencil goes dull And my eyes Carry a burden Greater than the fear of being caught Sometimes I start Feeling Not the way my ashy skin sounds like sandpaper, But the way she caught my eye And I lock mine with hers and they make Me start to feel Feelings that build Like a droplet That descends from the sky Until it ends with a crash On the solid ground And sinks back into the earth to rise once more Sometimes I start Thinking
Why does my face not look right? Why does my body have these marks? Why do I want to escape? Why do I dream of another reality? Why do I like this girl who will only see me as a girl? And then… For some reason… I ALWAYS start to cry The Lord has no competition with me Because when I cry, I flood My room My thoughts My soul Overwhelmingly taking over This will never end Why will it not END? I want it to end Why did I start? And then I remember To breath when I look at myself When I evaluate myself When I run When I write When I love
When I think And even When I cry, I still have time to breathe I stop I taste the air around me With all its mystery and life I remember there is an end That’s why I start.
It's ok to not be ok Zoe Laird Anxiety is something that everyone goes through in different ways, some people can deal with it by themselves while others need help and either are completely valid. You do not need a diagnosis to feel/be anxious. I have had diagnosed anxiety since I was two years old, some days are better than others but a part of me is always stuck in this other world where I am constantly worried about everything and everyone. Throughout my life I have been on several different medicines and seen therapists all to try and help, some people don't have the resources to get help for these issues. It's important to understand that it is not your fault that you feel this way and have this going on, never feel ashamed. I want to help people in every way I can so they don't have to go through everything I have. We all have different experiences in life and you may feel like the way you are feeling is not important because someone else has it worse. Even if someone else does have a worse time than you do that doesn't mean what you are feeling is unimportant or not real. No matter how small your problem may be, you still deserve to get help and have that as an option. Don't let other people tell you that they are fake and what you are feeling is unimportant because
that is not true and only you know how you feel. You have to find what works for you, not everything that works for me would work for you. I will still add a few suggestions and if they do not help you remember that is completely ok! The Point is it's completely fine if you are not ok. It is not embarrassing to need help. It's 2020 we need to start normalizing therapy and acknowledge mental health more. I have grown up constantly having panic attacks and being worried about everything, the only time I felt like I could really be me was when I played soccer. Soccer was something I could understand and wrap my head around, I would play for hours and just be thinking to myself figuring things out in my head. I was always worried about branching out to new people and asking for help. As soon as I started to have faith in myself I was slowly able to get to a place where I am able to ask for help when I need it. Don't think this will be easy, it won't and you will want to stop and give up but keep trying, things do get better eventually you just have to let them. Someone out there knows you exist and wants you to be happy.
1) Write a creative story 2) Write in a journal 3) Read 4) Play a game 5) Talk to a friend 6) Write a list 7) Breath (I know it sounds weird but it can really help) 8) dance 9) listen to upbeat music 10) watch a happy movie 11) create a plan