Living in contemporary society whilst dealing with a lack of healthy relationships has harmful impacts on an individual’s life with irreversible damage. Isolation is a tool of oppression often developed by one’s own conscience and once implemented into one’s mind, it is difficult to revert the changes done by the consequences of loneliness. When an introverted individual lacks companionship, it leads to them feeling isolated and overwhelmed with depression because the absence of healthy relationships restricts their motivation to escape from the shackles of dejection. When dealing with mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression, it is integral that an individual find refuge in the companionship of family and fellow peers to combat the illness. However, when peers and positive relationships are not present, it leads to further isolation which leads to an endless cycle of loneliness and dejection. To avoid depressing thoughts and free oneself from the shackles of dejection, one must seek relationships and come out of their comfort zone to find sanctuary in the company of others.
Furthermore, individuals who are struck with extreme isolation from others often feel that they do not have the confidence required to pursue healthy relations, therefore will refrain from trying to make strong bonds with others. There are a number of reasons why this may occur to a person, regardless of age, gender or any such factors; fear of judgement contributes to this as an individual will contemplate that others may see them as an “outsider”, when, in reality, the chances of this are slim. With psychiatric help, as well as coming to terms with reality on one’s own can assist in combating depression and other mental illnesses, however, to some individuals this may not be easily accessible.
It is worth noting, nevertheless, that isolation is a completely different idea than solitude. As Henry Cloud once stated,
“There is a difference between solitude and isolation. One is connected and one isn’t. Solitude replenishes, isolation diminishes.”
This demonstrates how isolation can deteriorate one’s mental health, creativity and social skills which impacts their future. But with proper help and companionship, dejection is easily preventable and the pursuit of relationships is crucial to stabilize one’s mental health.
Recently, I have proven to myself that I have exemplary social skills that help me make friends with all sorts of people. However, I was not always the energetic and active personality I now see myself as, but was initially a timid child in search of strong friendships with my fellow peers. So much so, that in middle school, I felt that I was outcast as being different from everyone else and the fear of judgement from others held me back from reaching my potential earlier on. Being an immigrant, I have always felt the gawking stares of those around me who do not share such a diverse and colourful heritage as mine. Before realizing that I do matter and should be the first to reach out to make friends, I always found myself cowardly sitting by myself during lunch, recess and on the bus.
I was lonely in a crowded atmosphere which, in hindsight, seems like a juxtaposition but is a sentence that accurately describes my early school experience.
Being from an Asian background, I was often ridiculed for being “brown” or looking like a “convenience store worker” and I admit that being forced into that position made me believe the stereotypes. When I was younger, I thought there was something wrong with how I looked, the way I ate, the things I ate, how I dressed, and it all took a massive toll on my mental health at such a tender age. I did not have the motivation to seek healthy relationships until recently in the 10th grade, which is a lot later than I would have liked to start. The only way to recover from the dejection and rejection I faced was to overcome it myself, as mental illnesses such as depression were a taboo topic in my culture and thought to be fake. Looking back I would have preferred more professional help with my mental health, but because of the judgement I would face in my family, I refrained from reaching out. This was one of the reasons I changed from being a timid child to an energetic personality that wants to see people happy and smile, because I got over the illusion that everyone was judging me and it helped me fight depressing thoughts and combat anxiety.
My past thoughts of not belonging because I lacked companionship ended up being nothing but a facade and a flaw in my mental health.
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Image Citation:
https://ar.pinterest.com/pin/90986854955752270/
Dear Afraz,
I believe that your blog and thesis are very well articulated and expressed in your unique, personalized style of writing. Isolation, oppression and mental health are aspects that apply to every human and are just natural occurrences that we often have little control over. I agree with you that these factors are undoubtedly responsible for keeping us from our full potential; however, once overcome, an individual receives life-changing enlightenment. Additionally, your personal experiences add authenticity and power to your writing, which reinforce your thesis statement.
One suggestion I would recommend is to specify on what caused you to change and gain the confidence to overcome your challenging situation. What was it that you needed to change your lifestyle? Other than that, I believe that you have successfully and expertly created an intriguing and personalized blog on your life.
sincerely,
Aaryan
Dear Aaryan,
I am grateful that you have read and enjoyed my piece and thought of it as well made. Readers like you motivate me further to write more as I know that people appreciate my work. It is gratifying to me that you found that my personal experiences added to the story, and I will be sure to include more of it alongside critical writing in similar pieces.
I agree with what you said about expanding more on the factor that caused me to change my lifestyle as it would have allowed a much deeper connection with my reader. I will be sure to include more insight into future pieces and thank you for your advice.
Thanks, once again, for reading my post and I appreciate you taking the time to read and analyse, as well as relate, to the piece.
Sincerely, Afraz
Dear Afraz,
This was a well-written response. The ideas flowed easily together, and while the topics being discussed in it were of a more sensitive nature, you touched on them in an informative yet tasteful way and manner. The generalities at the beginning eventually segued smoothly into your own personal experience, which was a nice touch. And the connection to your personal life wasn’t irrelevant but rather served to further paint a complete picture of the points that you were trying to make. You have a very strong voice that definitely came through in this writing.
However, I would like to suggest paying more attention to how you end your writing. Simply put, the conclusion of this piece felt very abrupt. I was reading along, engaged by your ideas, and had just begun to nod along to your personal experience when all of a sudden, the words just… end. You left only a hastily worded sentence at the very end to encompass and conclude your response. It felt, for lack of a better word, insufficient. A slightly more in-depth conclusion would’ve been a perfect addition.
Otherwise, I did enjoy reading this. You have a strong voice and know how to pull a reader into your thoughts; just be careful that you don’t lose that attention due to a dissatisfactory conclusion. But you’re a good writer, and I look forward to reading more of your pieces.
– Michelle
Sincerely,
Michelle
Dear Michelle,
I’d like to thank you for taking the time to read my blog and providing me with adequate feedback that you believe would enhance my future writing. I am glad to hear that my writing was able to flow smoothly and my topic, although very personal and sensitive to me, was able to be conveyed to you in a manner you could understand and connect with.
I appreciate your constructive feedback on how I choose to end my writing, as the ideas seem to come to an abrupt end. Definitely something I have to keep in mind for future pieces and that’s thanks to your good eye.
Once again, thanks for reading and taking the time to connect with my writing and I will certainly expand on your advice in future writings when relevant.
Sincerely, Afraz
Dear Afraz,
I found your piece demonstrated very thought-out ideas and flowed nicely while reading. I appreciated your sharing of personal connection and felt that I could connect with what you were saying. ” I was lonely in a crowded atmosphere.” This sentence stood out to me in that feeling isolated but being in a room filled with people is an emotion I can understand.
I agree with the above comment in saying that you need to elaborate on how you overcame your adversities. When an individual overcomes a certain point in their life there is always something that helped them. Sharing this can help your reader understand and connect to your story more.
Overall, I really enjoyed this piece and thought that it was well written. I look forward to reading more from you in the future.
Sincerely, Sara
Dear Sara,
I appreciate the kind words you have about my blog and love that you could relate to the emotions presented throughout it as that was what I was aiming to achieve. I wanted to write something that others could resonate and feel represented them as well and you have proved that my efforts have made it possible to do so. I agree with you on the ideas for me to improve as me adding a bit more insight as to how I developed from adversity would have been beneficial for me and I will certainly keep it in mind for the next time.
I thank you for your time to read my writing and for you, as a reader’s, perspective as it gives me further inspiration to improve. I will be sure to use your constructive feedback and better my writing closer to perfection. Thank you.
Sincerely, Afraz