Need A Pick-Me-Up

By Kiara Tatum

I don’t know about you, but I have been having an extra hard time these last few weeks.  And all of sudden last week it hit me that it was my good friend’s birthday.  She died from PH last year in October.  She was my first friend that I had gotten to know, and we became good friends and had more in common than just PH.  We talked about everything and even cried together.  It just been sad to not be able to do that with her anymore.  I have been in a fog for almost an entire year and not really coping well with her death because I tried to cover it up.  So I think I just needed to let the hurt, the anger and sadness out.  I needed a pick-me-up.

But I think as we are ending another year with holidays and celebrations, we are all going to be cycling with feelings of sadness and anger which we are going to need some fast acting pick me ups to get us through these months ahead.  I have been finding that journaling is my go to pick me up, but sometimes even journaling is hard for me to be honest with my words.  So I've been allowing music to do my feeling for me.  Let music—Pop, Country, R&B, Rap, Jazz, Classical, Rock, and any genre—be your voice and just let go!

Music heals the soul.  One of my favorite songs on my playlist that always helps me fight another day against PH and have hope is Roar by Katy Perry.  It came in handy when I was just feeling down about the unknown.

I got the eye of the tiger, the fire

Dancing through the fire

'Cause I am a champion

And you're gonna hear me roar

Louder, louder than a lion

'Cause I am champion

And you're gonna hear me roar

You have to fight this illness with faith, hope, and music.  Because this illness has a way of bringing you to places you don't want to go to, it can be difficult to find your way back. So let the music play on!