Quicksand Battle

My feet were glued
In quicksand 
I tried wiggling my body
My throat started closing 
My hands started to sweat 
The quicksand tightened

I closed my eyes 
I stopped fighting 
I took a deep breath 
The quicksand loosened
And then I could breathe 

But before I moved
I listened to my chest 
I felt my body widening
And then I could move 
The dry mud flaked off my skin 

I wrote this poem because life can be exhausting and make us feel trapped. When I struggled with mental health, I constantly felt trapped; I felt stuck; the only way out was to close my eyes and breathe. It doesn’t make the feeling go away permanently, but it does temporarily, and the more I practice, the more I prevent myself from feeling stuck.

If you are reading this in the dark tonight and your hands are sweaty, please know it isn’t your fault. The black will turn to grey. Don’t give up. You can breathe again, and the dry mud will eventually flake off your skin.