‘This is nowhere good enough’ you scream in your head,
Causing criticism to resonate, and deeply embed.
You’re tossing and turning in an attempt to gain sleep;
Trying to ignore where your insecurities creep.

In every sentence, an error to be seen;
Projected to all on a big, bright, bold screen.
The sneers and side-glances that make your heart ache;
The fear of being judged for a simple mistake.

All the possibilities of things going wrong,
That echo in your mind like a demon’s song.
You fake a smile to put on a show,
But behind the mask, a monster grows.

The bags under your eyes show the monsters that haunt you,
They show that the demon’s that you face are nothing new
You know deep, deep down, what you’re feeling is wrong:
But your mindset - too weak, and the intrusive thoughts - too strong.

‘Deep breath,’ they say, ‘Take a deep, deep, deep breath’,
So that you may spread your wings, like a chick leaving the nest.
Everyone has differing ways to cope,
But to rid us of our demons, one must have hope.

Yes! One must have hope that things will be okay;
That things will improve, day by day.
Yes - we have bad days, all people do;
But to have bad days, one must have good days too!