A Letter From Daisy 🌼

Hi, I'm Daisy.

If you've ever lain awake staring at the ceiling because your mind wouldn't let you rest, if you've ever cried where nobody could hear you, if you've ever spent so long pretending you were okay that people stopped asking if you were, or if you've ever felt completely alone while surrounded by people who love you, then this letter is for you.

 

For a long time, life felt normal.

I had people I loved, things to look forward to, and dreams for the future. If you had met me back then, you probably would have seen somebody who was happy. Somebody who laughed a lot. Somebody who cared deeply about other people. Somebody who seemed okay.

And the truth is, for a while, I was. But somewhere along the way, something changed. It wasn't one moment. It wasn't one bad day. It was hundreds of little moments that slowly became heavier than I knew how to carry.

I started worrying more than most people realised. Not ordinary worrying. The kind that follows you everywhere. The kind that sits beside you in lessons, follows you home, and lies awake with you at night. I worried about the people I loved constantly. I worried about losing them. I worried about getting a phone call that would change everything. I worried about things I couldn't control and things that hadn't even happened. My mind would take one small thought and turn it into a hundred different fears.

There were many nights i didn’t sleep because my brain refused to rest. I would lie awake staring into the dark, exhausted but unable to switch off. Sometimes I would cry because I felt overwhelmed. Sometimes I would cry because I was frustrated with myself for feeling overwhelmed. And eventually there were nights when I didn't even have tears left. I would just lie there feeling completely empty, staring at the ceiling and waiting for morning to arrive.

The strange thing is that almost nobody knew. The more I struggled, the better I became at hiding it. I became the friend who checked on everybody else. The person who smiled in photos. The person who laughed at the right moments. The person who always said, "I'm fine." 

And maybe the hardest thing to admit is that part of me wanted somebody to notice. Not because I wanted attention. But because I was tired. Tired of carrying everything by myself. Tired of pretending I was okay. Tired of fighting battles that nobody else could see.

And i think a lot of people know that feeling. You spend so long being strong for everyone else that eventually you forget how to ask for help yourself. You become so good at hiding your pain that people stop looking for it. And before you know it, you're sitting in a room full of people but still feeling completely alone.

What hurt the most wasn't always what I was going through. It was believing that nobody would understand. It was convincing myself that I was a burden. It was thinking that if I told people how much I was struggling, they would see me differently.

So I stayed quiet. And for a long time, I carried everything in silence. 

Then one day I realised something that changed me. The people around me were struggling too. The friend who always made everyone laugh. The person who looked the most confident. The person everybody described as "the strong one." They were carrying things as well.

And suddenly my heart broke for all of us. Because nobody should have to fight invisible battles alone. Nobody should have to sit awake at night feeling like the weight of the world is on their shoulders with nowhere to put it down. And nobody should ever feel like they have to earn support, understanding, or kindness.

That's why Dear Daisy exists. Not because I'm an expert. Not because I have everything figured out. But because I know what it feels like to need somewhere safe. I know what it feels like to need a place where you can stop pretending for a moment. A place where you don't have to explain why you're hurting. A place where somebody simply says, "I understand."

That's what I want Dear Daisy to be. Just a quiet corner of the internet where you can rest. A place where you can breathe. A place where you can be honest. A place that feels a little bit like a warm hug on the days you need one most.

So if you've found yourself here today, I want you to know that you are welcome exactly as you are. You don't need to be at your lowest point to deserve support. You don't need to prove how much you're hurting. You don't need to carry everything by yourself anymore.

 

And if nobody has told you this recently, let me be the one who does:

I'm proud of you. I'm proud of you for getting this far. I'm proud of you for surviving the days nobody knows about. And I'm proud of you for being here.

With love,

Daisy 🌼