If you’re subscribed to my art substack you get an email from me every Monday with a doodle I’ve drawn and a few words of what I’m thinking. It’s a bit more earnest than what I write here because my (incredibly amateur) art is a tool I use to battle the harder parts of myself and the world, but every few months I like to share a letter here, just in case you need it. Today is one of those day:
Dear friend,
I recently read about this psychological study where people who were placed at the bottom of a hill perceived the hill as being higher and more difficult to overcome if they were alone. But if people were placed there with a friend they perceived the hill as being less slanted. And if they were alone but allowed to text a friend they perceived the hill as being even less difficult to climb. Supposedly it proves that social support (even virtually) can make a positive impact on our perceptions and life in ways we can’t even recognize. It can change our perceptions and our reality, making it easier for us to do the hard things.
I think about this study a lot when I draw and when I write. I spend so much time alone because my depression and anxiety are often too loud, but even when I’m sharing scary or hard things I know that I’m not really alone…that you are here….my invisible friend and pen pal. I’m so lucky to have this incredible community of people who care. I’m so glad you’re a part of it.
You are not alone, even if sometimes it feels like it.
“Sometimes I need someone to save me from myself.”
Thank you for saving me, again and again. You don’t even know your power.
Thank you for sitting here at the bottom of the hill with me. You are the best company.
Love,
me