To the One Who Feels Lost

I see you there,
In the quiet corners of your mind,
Where the world feels heavy,
And the noise is too much.
Where you wear a smile,
But inside, it feels like everything is breaking.

You’re not weak for feeling this,
You’re not alone in this darkness,
Even though it convinces you
That no one could ever understand.
But I need you to know,
There’s more to you than the pain,
More than the thoughts
That tell you it’s too much.

I won’t pretend to have the answers,
Or say it’s easy to hold on,
But I will say this—
You deserve to see tomorrow.
Even if today feels impossible,
Even if your heart is tired,
You deserve the chance
To find a better moment,
To hear a laugh that makes you feel alive again,
To feel the sun on your face,
And know that it’s okay to struggle.

So if you can, just breathe,
One breath at a time,
One moment at a time,
And remember—
There’s someone out there
Who wants you to stay.

NATIONAL HELPLINES

Lifeline South Africa

0861 322 322

Suicide Crisis Helpline

0800 567 567

SADAG Mental Health Line

0861 322 322

National Gender-Based Violence Helpline

0800 150 150

PROVINCIAL HELPLINES

GAUTENG

011 644 6000

EASTERN CAPE

043 707 6300

NORTH WEST

018 387 7000

WESTERN CAPE

021 938 9300

FREE STATE

051 407 9000

MPUMALANGA

013 754 5000

KWAZULU-NATAL

033 345 7600

LIMPOPO

015 293 6000

NORTHERN CAPE

053 831 3100

WORTH THE READ