On October 24, 2011, a teen named Kait posted a video about losing her mom to suicide. She confessed her deepest secret, and now teens all over the world have the urge to confess.
Kait tells the story about her mother’s suicide through note cards and facial expressions. The music in the background of the video is “If I Die Young” by The Band Perry, which makes for a sad, inspiring video. Many of the comments applaud Kait for urging others to get help if they are suicidal, like her mother was. She induces tears and smiles alike from her mother’s story, saying “She’s in a better place now, and I have the best guardian angel ever.”
However, Kait was not the first to post a video like this; others have made similar videos dating back to 2009. Some are about their struggles with depression or mental disorders, and some confess about how they got their strength from dire situations.
Jacob Schemmel, a college student in Michigan, posted a video about the year of 2010, the worst year of his life. He lost a lot of friends to car accidents, and was in one himself — escaping death by a centimeter. Schemmel tells the world about his late friend’s motto: Everybody Love Everybody (ELE), a saying Schemmel lives by every day.
There are hundreds of “Secrets” videos that give the same inspiring message: keep going; if I can then you can. The videos bring people together when they would otherwise be alone to deal with their struggles. A Facebook group called Fearlessly Beautiful aims to do just that. Fearlessly Beautiful was created to help people band together through their hardships, and to “raise awareness for people with anxiety, eating disorders, suicide, and self mutilation.” In addition to encouraging people to get help, the group also says, “You are worth something. Stay Fearlessly Beautiful.”
Although there is debate on whether the videos are life-changing or just a trend, the message is still clear. Everybody has struggles, and if we band together against the stigma of depression and anxiety disorders, we could save lives.