maxwell's silver hammer

“all gryffindors are good guys”

“ravenclaws are nothing but nerds”

“hufflepuffs don’t do anything”

i do a podcast with my friend ComicBookGirl19 on the internets. please to enjoy! happy fun time bang pow adventures breasts!

I HAVE EVER SEEN

I’ve been wanting to address this topic for a really long time. When we’re on tour, I see at least one person covered in either scars or fresh cuts every day. Think about that for a second. Every day. And if I don’t see it, I get a letter or two to read about them. That’s a lot of people, who attend shows, listen to good music with a positive message yet still think that self harm is the answer to their problems. Firstly, it’s heart breaking. But secondly, it’s fucking stupid. I don’t feel sorry for a person who self harms because they have open wounds, I feel sorry for them because they think that’s the answer.

My Mum works for a children’s hospital that handles kids up to the age of 18, where there’s a ward for people suffering depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, suicide attempts and self harm issues and she sees the real thing everyday. She has had to put teenagers in morgues and has had to tell their parents they didn’t make it. I know this seems extreme but it’s real. There are people in this world who are truly mentally ill and unstable. What I don’t understand is why so many people are desperate to fall under that umbrella. Is it just so they have an excuse?

To be honest, there are qualities within all of us that would hint some kind of clinical, classified illness, but why does it have to have a name? Why do we feel the need to be diagnosed? Wouldn’t you just want to be stronger and better and rise above it? Rather than look for signs of something seriously wrong with you and taking drugs to ‘fix’ it? Why can’t these feelings just be human?

I don’t think it’s right to make self harm this ‘beautiful, fragile, I’m broken but it’s ok’ thing. You always hear people say ‘your scars make you beautiful’. But really, I think scars just show that you were in a dark time and have since then become a stronger person. Which yes, IS a beautiful thing but honestly, cut the crap! Being broken is not what it takes to be beautiful. You already ARE. 

Growing up is a crazy thing. You go through stages of your life where you’re certain of yourself and then it all tumble turns and you’re in a place you’ve never been before and are feeling things you don’t understand. Trust me it’s going to keep happening. I thought I’d seen the worst and yet somehow I’ve still managed to hit a new rock bottom. The thing about it, is that it’s ok! If you believe that everything happens for a reason, you will understand that everything you go through and everyone that comes in and out of your life is something to learn from and become better from.

The human mind is a powerful, powerful thing. Don’t let it control you. Make conscious decisions. It took me years and years to become the person ‘i always wanted to be’ and I will always be striving for more. Sometimes it’s a really long haul. And something I have to remind myself of everyday is to not want to achieve my idea of ‘perfection’ but to achieve something bigger and better than where I have already been. 

I think that if you’re in a situation you feel is controlling, dangerous, harmful, abusive, unsafe or unhealthy, get yourself the fuck out of there. If it’s home, school, a relationship? Remove yourself. We have the power to be so much more, yet we so easily settle for situations in which we sell ourselves short.

Be a go getter. Take what is rightfully yours. Your happiness. Your sanity. Don’t compromise your life, your goals, your interests, your general mental health for somebody else! 

I’m so proud of our fans and I love each and every one of you. Please don’t take this an attack or now feel that you can’t be open and share your stories with me. I love the relationships we have the honesty we can share. I just want you all to know what you’re worth and know that there ARE people that love you, people that feel the same and that you are NEVER alone. 

I understand where you're coming from, and as someone who doesn't actually struggle with a mental illness this probably makes perfect sense to you.

Let me start off by saying that a lot of people who self-harm don't actually struggle with a mental illness.

However, mental illness CANNOT be fixed by "getting out" of a situation. Mental illness is something that is wrong with the person themselves, not the situation they're in. Often, if it is a situation that is making a person feel bad, they're not actually mentally ill. I'm not saying that the pain isn't as real or that the consequences of this are any less serious, but it isn't always mental illness.

"There are people in this world who are truly mentally ill and unstable. What I don’t understand is why so many people are desperate to fall under that umbrella. Is it just so they have an excuse?"

I am mentally ill. I was in no way desperate to be that way or to be labeled as having a mental illness (I actually have 3), and even though friends and family told me to go see doctors, I refused. I was scared to be labeled as mentally ill because I thought it meant I was "crazy". It wasn't until my second suicide attempt that I went to a doctor, and even then, I was forced by family (I was literally kicking and screaming) to go.

"To be honest, there are qualities within all of us that would hint some kind of clinical, classified illness, but why does it have to have a name? Why do we feel the need to be diagnosed? Wouldn’t you just want to be stronger and better and rise above it? Rather than look for signs of something seriously wrong with you and taking drugs to ‘fix’ it? Why can’t these feelings just be human?"

For some people, understanding that feelings of loneliness/depression/whatever else they might be feeling is just "human" IS enough. To realize that everyone in the world struggles with issues can help, and can make them feel less alone. But again, with people who are mentally ill, we can't see that. I remember talking to someone who self-harmed and she was trying to get me to realize that I wasn't alone in the world, and all I could think about was how annoying her voice was. I couldn't listen to what she was saying because I didn't believe her.

Also, if I didn't take "drugs to 'fix' it", I don't think I would be alive today. And maybe if I was, I'd be locked up in a treatment facility somewhere because I wouldn't be safe.

I agree that self-harm shouldn't be labeled as "beautiful". I always say that my scars are ugly. I would never want anyone to tell me they're not. I agree that telling people that THEY are the ones who are beautiful is what should be said.

I think my main point is that depression as a feeling and depression as an illness are two VERY different things, and self-harm can fall as a "symptom" under both categories.

I'm in no way trying to attack you or disagree with your opinion, I'm just more so trying to point out to others that you're talking about feelings rather than mental illness. Because mental illness can't just "go away". It's an illness, like any other illness, that needs treatment. And I want people to realize that mental illness should be viewed the same way as other illnesses - you're sick. That's not your fault. You need help. It's not a big deal. (I mean that getting help isn't a big deal (or rather SHOULDN'T be a big deal), not the illness itself.)

I'm sorry if this offends you or anyone reading it, I just worry that some people who are truly mentally ill might read your post and feel totally shitty about themselves. I know I would have a few years ago.

Keep talking about mental illness, though! We need to end the stigma attached to it.

I actually enjoyed the Captain America movie...it wasn't amazing or mind-blowing or seat-gripping like some other superhero movies, but overall I enjoyed watching it. I'm excited for the second one, because I know they'll be able to do so much more now that they don't have to spend an hour telling Cap's origin story.

This isn't from The Hobbit, it's from The Fellowship of the Ring.

We’re also going to be the new Doctors.