It’s that time of the year when everyone disappears from the sight of the earth metaphorically or even literally. Well, you do see lots of them burying their heads in books in McDonalds, coffee bean, libraries and what you don’t see are those at home. Perhaps I think even Orchard Road is starting to miss our presence during this time when the level of stress is increasing rapidly, and everyone feels it’s better to stay at home to study than to go gallivanting in shopping paradise.

Let’s talk about a terrifying topic, stress. This is certainly very relevant in this period since everyone is going on hiatus, mugging away in the wee hours of the night, and to put it simply, preparing themselves for the impending examinations. Personally, I have been doing all that, locking myself at home, eating instant noodles because I chose to study at home while my family dines out, and burning the midnight oil with my secret recipe coffee. Well, stress did get the better of me because I became really weak emotionally and broke down easily. Yes, tears did come by and visit me often, shaking me like a mad woman. My sister did tell me once that when you study really hard, perhaps too hard, sweat, tears and blood would be shed. Certainly, I agree with her since I experienced it myself with all those tears and sweat, but thankfully no bloodshed.

Remember I spoke about disappearing from the earth? Well, here’s the literal level in line with the bloodshed I wrote earlier on. Many a time, people get stressed due to high expectations either personally, parental wise, or even peer pressure. But what really happens when this stress is not managed well? Here comes reality, people resort to all sorts of methods to release themselves from the bondages of stress and expectations. They slice their wrists apart as blood spurts out and ending their lifelines. They want to create an impression on earth and they do so by creating a depression literally and a work of art by jumping down from a building as the guts and blood spew out. Sounds morbid but these are the workings of unmanaged stress. To put it simply, they disappear from the sight of the earth for good because of death.

Would ending your life really solve all your problems? Or does it create a chain or problems for your loved ones? Definitely, committing suicide would result in a domino effect as you create differences in so many people’s lives. To a great extent, costing even more lives as your loved ones fall into depression because of an individual’s death and end up killing themselves as well. And the vicious cycle of life and death continues.

High expectations may be beneficial because it motivates one to work harder, and some stress is good. But sometimes, too much of a good thing is bad; parental expectations of a child may be too much for one to handle. Let’s talk about something close to our hearts, the happenings in Singapore itself recently. A 17-year old boy from a highly acclaimed junior college committed suicide, weeks before the actual promotional examinations. Not reported but I feel worth mentioning of, because the mother had put unnecessary stress on her son, pressurizing him too much to the extent that he decided to end his life. Sad, but true. “What for?” you may ask. To teach the mother a lesson? To teach the world of parents that too much stress on their children kills? No, because the child was dying to feel loved again. To feel loved regardless of how they fare in examinations, regardless of their failures, but just to be accepted for whom they are. A child with dreams of their own, a life of their own, with feelings, to feel loved again. All these dreams shattered, all these expectations smashed because they no longer mean a thing for a life is lost.

People die for the assurance they never got, the love they never felt, and yet disregarding or perhaps forgot that God is always here. Here in our midst, here with us, to love us regardless of whom we are, where we come from.

Well, apart from the spiritual, divine peace, a little encouragement from your parents and friends won’t hurt. If it could help to assure someone that he’ll be fine, to calm his fears, and even prevent overstress from occurring, why holdback all those comforting support? It won’t kill you to encourage someone; instead you yourself would be reassured.

Thank God for His peace, His assurance, His Love, and for the people He put there to constantly fill me up with the support i need.

So fret not, because GOD LOVES YOU!