The cliff’s edge appeared in front of me, pointing at the horizon. red, blue, orange, pink, colours of all kind were pouring into the infinite sky – like a canvas and its paint.

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“Let’s get this over with,” I thought aloud.

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As my eyes scanned my surroundings, I thought about what I had tried to achieve in the first place. Freedom… To fly away from this black hole of isolation… Of complete and utter misery… All I want was to escape, anywhere, as far away from thi-

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“Hello.”

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I was immediately snapped out of my thoughts by the sound of a soft spoken voice. Looking up, I saw a girl my age, long brown hair tied back with a red ribbon.

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“Who are you?” one of the many questions I held in my mind unconsciously slipped out of my mouth.

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“No one of importance”, she replied blatantly, turning her head to watch the setting sun in the distance. Slowly, she edge closer to the peak, never taking her eyes off the glowing ball of heat. Wait! She wasn’t going to do what I thought she was going to do, right?

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“Well, if you don’t mind, I’ll be going now.” That day, a young girl would’ve fallen to her death…

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If I hadn’t caught her arm just before….

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“WAIT!” I screamed, desperation clearly showing on my face.

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Hold on, what was I doing? It’s not like I cared about her life, we just met 2 minutes ago! I was planning on doing the same thing, so why did I tell her to wait?! Next thing I knew, the girl with braided hair had tears pouring from her eyes like waterfalls.

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“I really thought they accepted me, I should’ve seen through their lies from the very beginning!” she spoke quietly, as if her voice was lost in the back of her throat.

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“You…you….” I began, hopelessly.

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“ARE YOU SERIOUS? IS THAT THE ONLY REASON?” All of a sudden, it seemed that I wanted to help this girl, convince her to see the light in her dark past.

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“Just because you can’t get what you wanted?! At least you’ve never had anything stolen from you before!” my face and voice made me sound as if I was begging. The girl looked up; she was smiling.

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“I feel better now, thank you,” she whispered. And just like that, she disappeared.

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I went back the next day, and it happened again with a girl who had red glasses. And the next day. And again, again, and again. They were all different, yet, so similar.

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Until one day…..” No one’s here today,” I said to myself.

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Taking out the ribbon that held my long, brown hair back, and removing my red glasses, I took one final look around. With that, I stepped off.

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The last thing I felt that day was the wind crashing against my face…….

 

And a hand grabbing my wrist.

 

After the long months of restriction and rules, we all have the inexorable desire for freedom.  The adolescence in particular finds it difficult to cope with the uncertainty of the previous years. The lack of structure and control without a pre- determined time frame has given all of us great stress and anxiety. According to experts, having a sense of control is important to both mental and physical health. People who feel in control of their lives report better health.

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In fact, the feeling of control is so important that if we don’t have it, we resort to making it up. People who experience a loss of control tend to develop a desire for a more structured existence; and at times, create illusions and patterns to generate the feeling of being in control, in an attempt to return their world into a predictable state.

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We are usually able to deal with multiple crises - as humans we have evolved to be adaptable in every scenario imaginable. But only when we are given enough time to recuperate emotionally, physically and psychologically. If the stressor’s has no predetermined time frame, most of us will struggle to cope, accept and conform.

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The general message is that we all need to look out for each other. But what if one can only find the motivation to look after themselves? Is this selfishness? Or is it self- preservation? Is being a “Maritess” a way of criticising others, or is it someone’s way of saving themselves from the voices in their heads? After all, if you’re too preoccupied on other people’s business, you won’t have time to think about anything else!

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The Greek philosopher, Epictetus, states that mental attitudes such as desires, hopes, wishes and preferences are generally within your control. These are shaped by your life experiences, which mean you have learned and cultivated these attitudes from past events and situations. On the other hand, external things, including whether you will get the approval or will you be reciprocated, cannot be pre-determined. Since these attitudes are learned, they can then be unlearned.

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If the reality is making you anxious and stressed, then it may be time to re-examine your expectations. You are the one that sets the bar for your desires, hopes and wishes. Then you are the only one who has the power to reset it. Many people say money cannot buy happiness, but I disagree. Money can buy anything that will make you happy. However, it cannot give you contentment, and that is something you must gift to yourself.

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There are plenty of ways to help improve your mental health, but here are the things that I find are the best:

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Sharing your concerns with others is the most commonly used method, and one of the most effective; talking helps to reduce the overwhelming feeling inside. It helps to release all the pent up emotions that threaten to overcome your sense of reason and logic. This doesn’t necessarily mean confiding in someone you trust, but rather just talking to someone who is willing or even unwilling to listen (as long as they stay still and don’t interrupt). The problems with talking to someone you know are often that they feel the need to give you advice, and the expectation that they will always be on your side. So at times it’s best to talk to someone without expectations, and maybe you’ll finally get the answer that you were looking for.

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Go to a place that calms you. Bustling cities, calm oceans, exotic aquariums or quiet gardens; a day of rest will give you the tranquility to keep going for another week or two. But we are all different, so when you are in need of respite, it is best to not go with groups. Ask someone who is willing to give up their time for your needs.

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Another good practice is regular exercise and meditation - I recommend doing it at night. When you find it hard to sleep, try a 15 minute high-intensity exercise followed by 5 minutes of meditation. Turning everything off for the night will allow your brain and body to rest. It will also give you that much needed energy to face another day.

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Lastly, if all of a sudden everything becomes too much, remember take on one task at a time. Don’t even bother planning out the entire day. Just fully focus on accomplishing the job in front of you. Getting out of bed, showering, getting changed… you’ll find that life is much easier when you take it step-by-step, one task at a time. By the time you’ve finished, another day has gone by.