This month of May, many people are focusing on ‘Mental Health Awareness’.

Last year, when I was struggling with my own mental health, I noticed that I was progressively withdrawing from social engagements & interactions, detaching myself from some friends and family and as a consequence, some of my relationships suffered.

I wrote this poem “What have we become?” when I was thinking about the breakdown of some key relationships.  At the time, I didn’t think there was anything I could do to restore them.  I felt that being distant was the new model on which my relationships were based.

Thankfully, as my mental health has improved, I’ve rebuilt most relationships.  I will challenge myself to restore all relationships this week.

 

WHAT HAVE WE BECOME?

 

We don’t want to hurt each other

So we don’t speak

We spend more time apart

Receiving updates on one another through other people.

 

We have memories of the good days

But we don’t think about them

We sometimes think of how we’ve been wronged

We’ve let each other go, without ceremony.

 

It has become natural to live separately

To turn to other people to meet our needs

We have no plans for reconciliation

We don’t want to hurt each other

But we do.