Spider

This was a picture of a spider and it's web that I took last fall.  I kind of forgot about it but when I came across the picture I remember the night I took the photo.  We were out on our deck and in the light I watched the spider working so hard to maintain the web.  It worked quickly and constantly as other things would get caught in the web and tear it up.  The spider is something that I enjoy watching as long as it is outside and not near me.  I don't like them in my house or when I walk into one of their webs; although I have a fear of them, they still intrigue me.

Spiders bring on fear in a lot of people.  Fear, whether it is real or all in a person's mind can be debilitating.  Many people suffer with fear and anxiety on a daily basis and for some it is paralyzing.  We have all felt fear, and most of us know what anxiety feels like.  For many people these are things that affect their everyday life.  Most families have at least one person who suffers with anxiety.  Some people are able to hide it and live somewhat normal lives and many take medications to help them through the day to day things that others don't even think about.

I have talked to few people who can't leave their homes because fear overwhelms them.  In their conscience mind they know that what they are afraid of is not realistic, but their sub-conscience tells them otherwise.  I have chatted with a person who wanted to die because she was afraid every day of her life.  The anxiety had pushed her to a point of wanting to end it all because she was tired of fighting it.  Our conversation lasted for hours as she poured her heart out about the things that terrified her.  Some of these things seem so trivial, but it was keeping her from going to work, from visiting her kids and even from wanting to wake up the next day.

In the bottom left hand corner of the picture, you will see a moth that is stuck in the spider's web.  That moth was struggling to get away from what seemed like it's fate.  The fear that moth was probably experiencing represents what a person suffering with anxiety disorder must feel like.  As I watched the spider make its way to what seemed like the web's victim the moth was able to free itself and escaped with its life.

If you know someone who is suffering from any form of mental illness please do what you can to help them break free from the paralyzing effects of their life.  I know that you can't do a lot, they have to fight for themselves to break free, but sometimes being there for them may be enough to give them the strength they need.  If you are the one suffering from depression or anxiety disorder, know that you aren't alone.  Know that there are people out there that want to help.  If you have tried therapy and it didn't help, don't give up.  Keep looking for the right therapist, you deserve to get the help you need to break free from the webs in your life.

I am so proud to volunteer my 4 hours a week for Crisis Text Line (CTL).  The people I am lucky enough to chat with have shown the strength to take the first step to get better.  Some are suicidal when we begin to chat and, for me, there isn't a better way to end a conversation with a person than having them tell me that they feel better, that they will seek the help they deserve and they will make it through another day.

If you are in a dark place and are feeling like you are in crisis.  You can text 741-741 to chat with a caring volunteer counselor.  We are there because we want to be, and whether you know it or not, we really do care.