See Me Proud volunteer Angela shares a poem as part of our See Us campaign, asking the reader to look beyond the label, and see the person.
I do not look disabled
I do not look depressed or anxious
I look confident and happy
I am clean and well dressed
But
No one sees the images and conversations inside my head
Analysing everything that has been said to me that day
What did they mean by that? or Did they mean that?
I don’t think that person liked me
Oh well, I don’t care
But I do care
I am attracted to that person and they must not know,
I am lonely
I am sad
I have nothing to give
But
Sometimes I am happy
Sometimes I am confident
I use aids to cook, wash and dress myself.
Overwhelmed when someone does like me
I feel like the room is spinning in crowds
Sudden loud noises leaving me with palpitations and a strong sense of fear.
Why do I need to tell you this?
I just want to be seen.
Open your heart and mind and look further than what you can see.
And I will be seen.
You can learn more about the See Us movement on our website, and how your involvement is important towards ending mental health stigma and discrimination.
