Vivian Teekel
If you’re reading this, remember that the strongest thing you can do in a world like this is to love.
In moments of weakness where your vulnerability and heart have found you hurt, keep loving. Continue to promise love for life on your hardest day. Promise love for mankind in the face of your worst betrayal. Promise a love for yourself amid hatred.
On days that I must make these promises to myself again, it’s hard to believe what I’m telling myself. It’s an overwhelm of hopelessness and loneliness, but I say, “just wait until tomorrow.” Eventually a day comes when it makes sense again and life again feels like a blessing rather than a curse. The same people you would think about writing letters for will be there on that day, serving as the reasons you can live on to smile and laugh with again.
There’s a lot of things I do to try to reintroduce light into my life these days. Sometimes I just need a distraction and others I need active support, so here’s my favorite: therapy, a long, big hug from someone I love, time outdoors with no distractions, a hot, long shower, recounting my accomplishments including hard things I’ve lived through, spending time with my friends, or cleaning.
Coping mechanisms don’t tend to heal the hurt, or sometimes even distract you from it, but they may at least serve as a reminder of the luxury of life and self-love. Using these tactics doesn’t always bring a smile back to my face or relieve all the stressors in my mind, but it at least gives my mind and body time to relax or reflect rather than react.
I hope that everyone reading this understands that the concepts of “tomorrow” or choosing to love anyway require strength that you already have. With the same heartbeat and breath you take now. With the same sadness and frustration. Even with the same terrifying thoughts, you have the strength to make it until tomorrow and you have the strength to love again.
Vivian T., University of South Carolina
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