By Faria Malik
She’s tired of fighting, she’s closing her eyes;
Her mind drifts to all of the things that she tries
And fails to complete but the struggle is real.
She has no one to turn to. She’s starting to feel
Like the weight of the world is just weighing her down,
And she can’t rise above it, or stifle her frown.
And she wants to be better and she wants to be good
But sometimes it’s not about changing her mood.
She can’t flip a switch that prompts her to say,
“Today is the day that I won’t feel dismay!”
It’s just not that simple. There’s no easy fix!
She can’t hold her breath and just count to six.
Her problems are mounting, surmounting, and piling;
Her heart aches with worry and lists that she’s filing
Away from the surface, to simmer and boil
Within her until she can’t handle the toil.
She’s scrolling online, and she passes it by,
She scrolls back towards it and gives it a try—
She clicks on the link and reads through the site
She wants it to work with all of her might!
“Our helpline can help you, no judgement,” it reads.
“Anonymous counsellors can help with your needs.”
She’s doubtful about it, how good could it be?
“Do they really think that they can help me?”
A few days go by and she feels like she’ll break
From all of the issues that make her heart ache.
She picks up her phone and she calls them real quick,
She hits the red button and hangs up with a click.
Her heartache is building. Her courage is shot.
She thinks of the help that she wished she had sought.
She tries it again and she picks up the phone,
She doesn’t hang up when she hears the dial tone.
The minutes fly by and she’s baring her soul,
Her eyes well with water, she starts to feel whole.
She weeps for the problems she’s kept bottled in,
She pours out the stories she could barely contain.
The counsellor listens, her voice soft and kind,
She’s very attentive, she does not seem to mind.
She does not exude judgement or seem like she’s bent
On keeping the caller from trying to vent.
And on go the stories ‘til finally she’s spent,
She’s explained all the issues that cause her torment.
They say that when problems weigh down your soul,
Talking it through can lessen their toll.
But finding an ear that will listen is hard,
When you feel like you always must be on your guard.
She’s found a safe space where she’s free to just speak,
Where no one will judge or call her a freak,
Where counsellors listen and offer advice,
And everyone acts resoundingly nice.
Solutions take time, but she has some reprieve—
She’s finally found a sense of relief!
***
At Nisa Helpline, we have been providing a safe space for women to call and receive peer-to-peer counselling since 2014. We believe in fostering resilience and building up our women. We support women of all ages, from all walks of life. Our helpline is 100% confidential, non-judgemental, and anonymous, and we provide optional, faith-based counselling to those who require it.
We listen, we care.
Call us at 1-888-315-NISA (6472)
Instagram: nisa_helpline
Twitter: @NISAHelpline
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NISAHelpline/
***
Faria Malik is a Political Science student at SFU and a content writer for Nisa Helpline. She is an advocate for community engagement, youth dialogue, and female empowerment. When she’s not working, she spends her time reading prolifically, and baking sporadically. Her cakey creations can be found on instagram, @fariam39