#WCW: Matric student uses her love for design to create hope during lockdown
Taylia De Freitas decided to create some upliftment amongst her peers, as being a teenager it was not easy being in lockdown and feeling isolated...
We just heard about a story this morning where a lady by the name of Riette, who was nominated for the last (bonus) Darren's Tip Jar on Monday, and had received not R5,000 but R50,000, has allegedly committed suicide. The sad news came to the team on Tuesday and everyone has been trying to get over the shocking news, thinking about her and her family.
On that same note, we came across a story about a teenager in Cape Town who equally felt unsettled and uneasy since the first lockdown. Being isolated and away from her friends really was not helping her deal with everything, but she didn't allow this to get the better of her.
She decided to use her love for design coupled with her feelings and those of her peers would turn into a movement for mental and emotional health that would inspire many around the world.
Taylia De Freitas is a scholar at St. Cyprian's in Cape Town and before lockdown, she always kept busy, partly as a coping mechanism to steer her away from dealing with things she was going through.
"Before we went into isolation and the whole pandemic started, I was very much using my friends and social interaction as a coping mechanism and a distraction from everything else that was really going on in my life. I was always busy."
She says lockdown isolation stripped that all away from her. "I was forced to look internally and appreciate friendships and relationships a lot more." (MSN)
The good news is that Taylia sought help. She shared that seeking help is the hardest part as she thought that it was indicative of her being weak. But she realised that her perspective was wrong and asking for help was the best thing she ever did.
She was also the victim of bullying as a child and that impacted on her feeling alone and decreased her self worth. Her parents also got divorced, and this and other built up stuff caused her mental state to be unsteady.
Taylia used her experience as her motivation to create a social media account to help others called, 'Words To Help You Fly'. We think she put it beautifully when she said: "Words To Help You Fly started so that I could be the person my younger self needed to hear but never did. So it was very much for her." (MSN)
Thank you, Taylia, for being a 'shero', we dedicate our #WomenCrushWednesday post to you...
We think that it's so important now more than ever to make sure that your friends and family are doing okay. We place such a high importance on checking our physical health, but what about our mental health? If you are feeling alone and are having a hard time with processing everything, please contact the South African Depression and Anxiety Helpline on 0800 567 567. It is a toll free and anonymous call.
Image Courtesy of Instagram