Do you remember when you were young, plastered in front of the TV, concerned for your favourite character as the quicksand slowly swallowed them? And they dramatically reached out with one hand and said, “You go. Live your life. Forget about me.” Cinematic masterpiece.
This scenario was constantly repeated. From cartoons to live-action, it was on repeat until all of us thought to ourselves, “Quicksand is dangerous. Must watch out for quicksand.” Cartoons like Daffy Duck, Winnie the Pooh, Kim Possible, Timon and Pumba and Brandy and Mr. Whiskers all had quicksand scenes, so it is no surprise that this was the conclusion we reached.
Fast forward a few years later, you stop seeing this iconic scene in the movies and shows you watch, and the memory of the dangerous quicksand slips your mind. The thing that once was a true concern in your mind is now gone – forgotten – swallowed by its own quicksand if you will.
But here’s a thought… What if the quicksand we were seeing was metaphorical? What if quicksand was meant to resemble the things in life that suck us in – or drown us? Perhaps, metaphorical quicksand should be a concern for us, after all.
The reason our beloved characters would drown in quicksand was because they fought against it, and the more they did that, the more they got sucked in. It is only when they come to the realization that they need to hold still, calm down and ask for help, do they then safely come out.
Do you know when you’re trying to put thread in a needle and, at first, you’re super focused and precise, then you get frustrated because you can’t get it in? Then, you start trying to jab it in and, eventually, what happens is that the thread frills and becomes exponentially harder to get in. Well, this is kind of similar.
I was thinking about how quicksand can be a symbol of things in life that drown us, and for many people, those are different. But mental health stood out to me.
Often, when someone is struggling with their mental health, the first approach is to push it aside, pretend it does not exist or find unhealthy coping mechanisms to force themselves out of feeling the way they do. But when has forcing anything ever worked out for us? You can’t force yourself to sleep or go to the bathroom, so why do you think you can force yourself out of feeling?
Mental health issues are one of those metaphorical quicksand situations, and it is not your mental health that is drowning you, but rather the way you are dealing with it. The more you resist feeling those emotions and learning to cope, the more it will drown you. Take that anxiety and fuel it toward something different; take the time to understand your emotions and learn to ask for help, but do not force it out of you. Do not follow in the footsteps of the characters who told their friends to go on and forget about them. Be vocal. Do not let your own quicksand-ridden behaviours drown you.