Shainne Hostalero

The reason why I put 'frustration' is because it is the package - the real deal. We might sometime wonder if what we are feeling is just frustration or already depression. Me, personally, it starts with the F and eventually falls on to the D. It's hard to differentiate, specifically when you are taking too much. No one would ever exactly understand what you are going through when you are suffering from depression. Your friends may tell you nice words to live by, though it may help your feelings to be a lighter yet the 'emptiness' you feel is not sure to go away. We can't tell those who are/were depressed don't/didn't try to get better. We can't say that they didn't do everything they can to understand what's going on around them. We can't factually discredit that they didn't approach the reasons why they are feeling what they are feeling now... because they did. They did all the best they can. But sometimes, the 'feel...

Taken at Tagaytay, Philippines during a windy day. I watched some kite-flying, too. How wonderful it is to be a kid. I’m not good at acknowledging my feelings. I usually nip it in the bud or let it stay within me in a span of hmmm… 20 seconds to a minute. It is because I always believe that there is more to life than what we feel at the moment – and I know it was right. I know I was right. At some point. But what I did not realize... it's case-to-case basis and I apparently generalized it. For the longest time, I always suppressed some of the emotions I needed to feel because most of them were far negative for the day – stress, annoyance/irritation, sadness and the like. I felt like I was strong enough to conceal and not to feel. I felt like I have control. And oh, it is true that I have control; we have control – so I stood by it. Indeed, we are in control of our emotions and how our minds go round about things and events. But like in some situations, there’s also a need for...