Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones

Okay, I am going to be completely honest with you guys right now.

I freaking hate the saying "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.".
Frankly, this little ditty isn't right, nor should it at any times be considered even halfway truthful.
Words hurt. A lot. I would rather be slapped in the face 500 times than told I am worthless. Why? Because pain eventually subsides, but words can linger forever.

Although happy words should be remembered more, it tends to be the angry speeches that truly stick. For example, when I was in elementary school, there was this girl who said she hated me. I remember exactly where I was when the words fell out of her angry mouth, and how badly my little heart hurt to think that someone could feel that much aversion towards me. I had broken an arm before, fell and scraped my knee, stubbed my toe, but none of those could compare to the pain I felt then.

Sadly, I cant seem to remember any of the nice things she ever said.

Once, in middle school, I was told the only reason my friends liked me was because I was "pretty". The same girl later called me a profane name behind my back, wrote a page long note explaining how much she hated me, and attempted to destroy every friendship I cherished.

For some reason every nice thing she spoke in my general vicinity was received with suspicion and anger. Hmmm, I wonder why I felt that way.

Sure, sticks and stones may break my bones, but words are more like cannons.

With every fiber of my being, I plead with you to choose your words wisely. Anger, hate, malice, and jealousy can destroy relationships, and all together make life crappy. One small sentence can lead to years filled with sadness.  I mean, think about it. Would you rather be someones happy memory, or their tormenting nightmare?

To combat the never ceasing war of words, build a fortress surrounding other people's hearts. Construct it gently, and build it brick by brick with kind thoughts and loving words. Tell them little facts about their personality, share happy stories, enjoy silence together, but never ever willfully hurt them. You just don't know when you could push them over the edge.

Please, I beg of you, stop the warfare. Love people, love life, love yourself, love little things, and above all share your happiness.

If you have ever been bullied, or are being bullied, please email me at becauseofbeautifullives@gmail.com. I would be happy to listen, and share with you what knowledge I possibly could.

I love you!
Sadie

Mind and Body

We live in a world where words like "retarded" and "OCD" are used as debilitating insults, which are perceived as some sort of funny joke. But the thing is, these "insults" are no way to make a snide comment to a friend. They are real mental illnesses that cause pain, and suffering in individuals all over the world. So why on earth would you want to make fun of it?

Using mental illnesses to insult someone, is almost to the same equivalent of using a physical illness as a jest. You would never say,"Oh my gosh, its like that girl has cancer or something." because

A) Cancer is a very sensitive topic in today's world, so it wouldn't be funny. (Don't be insensitive)

B) Its mean. Don't say mean things. Okay? Okay.

I can understand why it is more common for people to make fun of mental illness instead of physical. Its simple. Physical illness or disease is typically manifested physically whereas mental illness can be hidden, without anyone knowing how much the sufferer is actually suffering.

For example, I have anxiety. But, the people around me only know if I talk about it, or have a panic attack. Other than that, I can hide it fairly well. But if someone is struggling with jaundice it would be clearly evident, because jaundice turns your skin and eyes yellow. (Its not fun.) Anxiety isn't physically manifested. Jaundice is.

One thing I think people don't realize is that when you have a mental illness it can be just as tiring and discouraging as its physical counterpart. Constantly worrying, obsessing over cleanliness, and hating your body takes a lot of energy.

Teasing, insulting, and bullying is not ok in any size, shape, or form. So please stop making fun of mental illnesses, even if you have walked a mile in our shoes.

Rant over.