[New readers, please note, this blog post was written a couple of years ago]
Depression. Anxiety. Mental illness. Many of us have been touched by these to some degree whether it is or has been, a struggle we’ve experienced ourselves, or we know and love people who do. Sadly, suicide can be a tragic result for some for whom the struggle becomes seemingly too lonely and too difficult.
My newest song, Somebody Find Me was inspired as I watched and walked with a friend through their recent bout with anxiety and depression. Throughout my life I’ve known many who have engaged in such a fight. I battled these illnesses myself at a time in my life when I was thrown too many curveballs, all too fast, and life became overwhelming.
RUOK Day (Are You OK Day) is an annual day set aside in September where we are encouraged to reach out to others, genuinely asking, “R U OK?” Regularly connecting with others is a crucial way in which we can support those who are struggling with any matter in life. The aim of RUOK Day is to raise awareness of the importance of reaching out on any and every day, not just on this particular day in September.
I began writing Somebody Find Me quite a while ago. As is not uncommon when I’m songwriting, I got a good way into the lyric-writing and noodled with a few chords, but then put it aside for a while to tend to other matters. I left the song to breathe to allow fresh ideas to develop. Recently I saw Somebody Find Me sitting in my songwriting file, and knowing that RUOK Day was on the horizon, I set myself a goal to complete writing the song to release it in time.
Reach out a hand through the night,
I wanna live,
I need to fight.
Somebody find me;
Somebody hear my voice,
I need to rest my head on a living choice.
Somebody find me;
Oh, help my spirit live,
Hold my soul a while —
Somebody find me.
While never mentioning the words depression or anxiety, the song expresses the isolation and confusion that individuals may feel at times and encourages us to “reach out a hand through the night” to those who feel lost and hopeless in their pain.
Typically when I write songs that have themes of pain or challenge, I include a ‘silver lining’, a solution, a ‘God-saved me’ moment. That was where I thought I was heading as I was finishing up this song. However, as I took a mini-break one day, I felt a nudge in my spirit to leave it as it was. My inner problem-solver went ‘tilt!’ I couldn’t do that! I like to leave things with a message of hope for resolution! It was a real challenge. But as I sat with God with it, I realised why.
We need to hear the cry of the struggle. We need to compelled to be someone who is prepared to reach out having heard a cry. All of us can do it. All it can take is a phone call, a text, a coffee date, a shoulder, an ear. Our compulsion to solve a problem doesn’t always help the people we care about. Being there does. Listening does. Loving them does. Praying for them does. Asking them how we can best support them does. And then praying and listening and loving and being there some more.
Please join me in resolving to be a hand of help, a voice of compassion, and a beacon of hope to those who might be doing it tough. Let’s hold that person’s soul up in prayer. Let’s be a safe place for them. Let’s together intercede for them asking God’s light to shine the way through their darkness and His life to ignite within hearts of hopelessness.
R U OK Day is Thursday 8th September. Sometimes all that we need is someone genuinely asking “RU OK?”, and a willingness to hear an honest answer. I will be uploading a demo of the song shortly, so keep an eye out on my website for links.
UPDATE: The song is now up and can be heard at www.soundcloud.com/btm-7/somebody-find-me