The Excruciating Pain!

A smiling young girl suddenly retreated back into her shell. She didn’t want to talk about anything with anyone. She stayed in her room most of the days, cuddled up in the corner of her bed and hiding her face in her palms. It was as if she had gone into depression and indeed she was!

It all started when she was in her 5 grade. She had bushy eyebrows, but they weren't that bad. She was okay with it and her parents too. However, her fellow classmates didn't think so. 5 grade was an age when they were starting to realize the so called societal standards and how an ideal girl should look like. This prompted them to start calling her with names such as Herry the monster. She took them all on a light note but deep down she was hurt, she was starting to realize what was happening to her. This continued on but everything broke out in the 8 grade. The bullying became intense. This was coupled with body shaming because she gained weight through the years, as she was scared to go out and indulge in any physical activities. Everywhere she went people stared at her and her nickname became popular across the neighborhood schools too. She did have few friends but overtime she realized that they were staying beside her just out of sympathy and she didn't want such kind of friendship nor deserved it.

She couldn't take it anymore. She was tired. She was tired of bottling up her feelings. There was this piercing pain in her heart. It was as if a sword was pierced right into her heart, was left hanging and everyday it moved in a little more. The unspeakable and indescribable pain was eating her from inside. The feeling of alienation was dreadful. It was as if someone had stitched up her mouth so as to not let her speak. She couldn't share her emotions with anyone, not even her parents because of the fear of judgement.

Tears started flooding down her face and breathing was a task that seemed impossible. She drags her legs closer to her chest and begins slowly rocking herself and now her tears wet the pillow black. No one was home to hear her cry helplessly. Thoughts were running wild in her brain but the only question that she managed to utter was WHY. Why her? Why has this been happening to only her? Why did she have to be born with such ugly brows? These thoughts seemed to make her cry even louder. All of the memories of her past also now started popping in and out in a flash, she was lost in her own sea of tears with nothing or no one to be her boat to take her to shore.

Like her lakhs of young people get body shamed and bullied even without realizing. Social anxieties set in and they start hating their own body. They start critically looking at their own body and judging themselves. It takes a huge toll on mental health and this is unimaginable and irreversible.

That person can even be you or your friend with whom you chat everyday without realizing or even your own sibling. This all may seem wild, but this is the truth and every year thousands of teens commit suicide for the same reason. They go through this extreme pain and mental torture that they just want to end it all.

How can we put a stop to this social activity that has been scattered through all societies since the beginning of time? Why do people actually do it? Are they insecure themselves? Can we describe what we go through fully? What are some of the ways we can cope with such kinds of situations? Can we actually get out of the grips of such an inhumane activity that has deep roots in the society? These are some of the questions that we clearly don’t have an answer for.