How writing helps in curing depression

Me, I started writing when I was in grade 6. I had so many troubles at home, that I always needed a way out, always looking for a way to escape the horrible tapestries on my bedroom wall and all the things around it. I wanted to change, yet I wanted to stay inside my comfort zone. My parents got divorced when I was a kid, I hated living in a house where you would listen to screams at 3 a.m. in the morning all the way to 7 a.m. in the beginning, it was just me writing concise sentences at the back of my school notebooks and it gradually turned into getting a spare notebook and keeping it with me at all times.

I later found out that there are things called diaries with beautiful covers that you can use to write in, all your thoughts, complaints about the things you don’t have and whining about the things you do have. I asked my mom, who happens to write in Urdu, to buy me one and she did next month. I started writing anything and everything about my life, my thoughts and my life at school and with the relatives at home in that little diary. I’ve been keeping a journal ever since. I have 15 diaries at the moment, and I just turned 26. I intend to get another one soon.

I’ve been fighting depression for as long as I can remember. I started getting migraines when I was 18 and till now, I feel like half of my productivity and creativity died because of the constant pain and agony. My writing habit is what helped me cope with it. I used to worry about the most trivial of things and now, I feel more in control of my life. I compiled all that I have written in a poetic manner and published my first book by the name ‘Psychaotic’. The reason why I’m telling you this is because it was something that I could call my own, something that made me feel like all my diaries are in the book and I can read and learn through my own experiences. I helped countless people fighting depression and bipolar disorder through that. Maybe you can too. Writing isn’t easy. Sometimes the words flow through you, sometimes, they break your back with pain. But when they do come, you can see what you wrote and you can feel it. You can find it in your heart that you need to forgive yourself and know that whatever happened isn’t your fault. The World works in strange ways. You just need to be able to understand and see where it takes you.

Today, when I write, after all that time, I feel a tingle in my hands that tells me that I need to take out my journal and my black pen. I write, for myself and for the people who will read it ages later and I pray and I hope that it makes them feel better. Somehow, someday. If you are fighting depression, I assure you that keeping a journal will make you feel better. You will be able to look at what you’ve been through and make yourself stronger and better. You’ll be able to fight distress and anxiety. I bet those panic and anxiety attacks keep you up at night. That’s okay. I have them too. More often than you think. But my writing habit helps, it really does. You should get a diary too, write the littlest of things that bother you and cram them up in your writing. You’ll feel the difference in your mood, your anxiety and your depression after that.

There is no keeping it inside. You have to channelize it. Best thing is to pour it out on paper. It will change your life, as it changed mine.

Mother’s are Heroes- Celebrating The love of Literature with Mothers

Mother’s Day.

The one day we have specified for our moms. The reason why it all began was when some amazing social activist called Anna Jarvis decided to run a campaign to honor her mother by making Mother’s day a celebrated holiday in the US. And as history unfolded, we found out that rest of the countries started celebrating it too and so did everyone here in Pakistan.

What that woman started, we are carrying forward to honor our moms, because you know it is true when I tell you that we rarely have time to sit and talk to our moms. We always have work, meetings, events and friends every time our mom wants to sit and give a lecture on how bad the world is and how we are ‘just kids’ who don’t know what the world is capable of. No matter how strong and independent we are, deep down we know that our mom is the one person on earth who will stand with us if all the social image, finances and emotions fall from our hands.

The theory of us being ‘strong and independent’ became very relative when we realized that more and more women every day join the workforce of our country to add numbers to an existing percentage of 28% of the total women population. So how does this drastic change in the concept of our society impact mothers?

Not much, to be very honest. Our moms still scold us when we get home late, they still worry about our health and they still ask us if we want to get married soon. Perks?

We get late night oil massages in our hair with a handful of sarcastic comments

We get parathas and Churi for breakfast on normal days.

We get the most amazing ‘Churi’ in Ramzan and them Pakoras… Damn.

My mom, I always consider her to be the most strict mom in the history of moms and I still think that. I do, however, accept the fact that everything I am today, if my mom wasn’t there to teach me, the debates, the speeches, the love of books and poetry, I wouldn’t be who I am. She made me strong enough to stand in a crowd of thousands and not feel afraid and insecure. I am always confident, I am always proud and even in my darkest of days, I know that I will resurface as a survivor because my mom raised me like that. She is a librarian. A simple government librarian. Nothing fancy. But the way she brings books home and makes us read and find meanings of difficult words in the dictionary is why me and my sister (who happens to be studying law while being great at writing and drawing) Maham, are confident and like to read and write. I love my mom even though she drives me crazy mad sometimes( You know your mom does the same, don’t judge me). I do, because I know I am exactly like her. Lol.

About 5-6 years ago, I met this amazing young woman in a gorgeous house with a huge books cupboard in F-7. I saw her and I realized that I wanted to become like her when I grow professionally. Her name is Hira Ali and she has an event management company called Revelations. You might’ve seen my updates about the decor and event themes on my Instagram from her events. I decided to ask her some questions on her life as a working woman and her relationship with her mother for this Mother’s day.

My first question from her was: How did your mom contribute in making you the woman you are today?

To which she smiled and replied:

“I owe it to my mom. Everything I am today, It is because of her. When she got married to my Agha (dad), she got an entire book library as a wedding gift from my grandfather. That is when I was raised between books and creativity which I portray in my work. She has always been there for me when I am running around crazy at the event, she makes sure I don’t lose it, (chuckle) she takes care of me and keeps me motivated. She is my role model and I think, she is perfect in every way and I’m glad I am her daughter”

Question 2: Do you think mothers in Pakistan are raising good daughters who will bring change in Pakistan and its culture?

“Well, our society made us realize that just the sons can do business and work successfully and for the last 5 years, I have seen a major change in that thinking. Now mothers encourage their daughters to get educated and learn the ways of the business so they never fail in their life. We now see more women getting into the business and our collective workforce. I think this is a great way of mothers showing the world that they are raising strong daughters because every woman can reshape the world”

Okay, final question. This is where I wanted to know how being married impacts her business.

Question 3: How does being married Influence your business?

“Ali(her husband) is so supportive. I thought when I’ll get married I’ll have to stop my passion for events and decor but that didn’t happen. Ali now supports me in every event I organize. He is part of the team now. He manages things in the business I used to neglect before. I think when two people love each other, they support each other too, in business, in life, and in a career. He is supportive in a way I never thought was possible and more husbands should be like him”

While I agree with her, I still think if I’ll ever take that chance. Very unlikely, but sure. Maybe one day. Till then, I will rely on my sister and my mom for all the support I need to carry forward my love for literature and the trend of reading books.

Wherever you mom is, go give her a hug, buy her flowers. I’m planning to buy her Rus Malai and Gajray. She is old school. She will like it.

Happy Mother’s day to every amazing mother and mothers-to-be on the planet.

We’re having a book launch this Thursday, in Sattar Baksh F-7, Islamabad. You’re all welcome to join us celebrate literature. There will be poetry, prose, and music. I promise.

Learning to live in Peace-One step at a time

Peace is proving to be one of the most endangered elements on our dear planet these days.
Why? Because instead of tolerance and patience, we are choosing to fight, ignore and blame each other.
Every day more of us become victims of extremism and violence. 

Peace, something the whole word is craving for at the moment. In a world like this, where seasons go by, loved one’s bid farewell and the innocent blood goes worthless- we need a break. To be more precise, we owe a lot to this world. Yet, we sit back and let it deteriorate gradually. Why?

Indifference is productive as long as things are not under one’s control but, when they are, why don’t we contribute some part?

This world is heading towards an unfathomable end. The earth weeps each day when a drop of innocent blood hits the ground. The Mother Nature- the trees, herbs, and shrubs, the mountains and seas; complain mankind for each wound Humans inflict upon them.

Pakistan is a third world country. Incompetent in a lot of areas, but illiteracy itself is not the factor behind it. Terrorism is at its peak in Pakistan. People have even forgotten what peace is like? In fact, we hardly remember when was the last time we witnessed peace in our country.

The one thing every culture, every artist, every tradition, every musician, every nation promotes is Peace. This world needs to focus on the significance of tolerance and peace because that is what transforms our decisions in the real world. We step according to the political stability, economic stability, finances etc. but most of all, if we see ourselves surrounded by components that invoke extremism or terror rather than peace and harmony, we are reluctant to take any decision. 

Unfortunately, it is not just about Pakistan but all other countries around the globe where roots of barbarism are spreading deeper and deeper. In this situation, at least we, the youth of Pakistan, need to pull in the reins and start working towards eliminating violence as much as possible. Be it through writing, workshops, processions or social media promotion. In a nutshell, peace has to prevail and the opposite has to be annihilated.

We are not perfect, we rely on our perceptions and studies to determine how we ‘SHOULD’ act, or how we CAN bring peace when what we really should be doing is looking at ourselves and how we can change our surroundings by changing OURSELVES. 

‘Gnothi Seauton’

(Greek) ‘Know Thyself’

Article by Beyond Sanity Publishing for Peace Without Borders

2016 Nobel Prize In Literature Awarded To Bob Dylan

 

STOCKHOLM, Oct 13 (Reuters) – Bob Dylan, regarded as the voice of a generation for his influential songs from the 1960s onwards, has won the Nobel Prize for Literature in a surprise decision that made him the only singer-songwriter to win the award.

The 75-year-old Dylan – who won the prize for “having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition” – now finds himself in the company of Winston Churchill, Thomas Mann and Rudyard Kipling as Nobel laureates.

The announcement was met with gasps in Stockholm’s stately Royal Academy hall, followed – unusually – by some laughter.

Dylan’s songs, such as “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “The Times They Are a-Changin’,” “Subterranean Homesick Blues” and “Like a Rolling Stone” captured a spirit of rebellion, dissent and independence.

More than 50 years on, Dylan is still writing songs and is often on tour, performing his dense poetic lyrics, sung in a sometimes rasping voice that has been ridiculed by detractors.

Some lyrics have resonated for decades.

“Blowin’ in the Wind,” written in 1962, was considered one of the most eloquent folk songs of all time. “The Times They Are A-Changin’,” in which Dylan told Americans “your sons and your daughters are beyond your command,” was an anthem of the civil rights movement and Vietnam War protests.

Awarding the 8 million Swedish crown ($930,000) prize, the Swedish Academy said: “Dylan has the status of an icon. His influence on contemporary music is profound.”

Swedish Academy member Per Wastberg said: “He is probably the greatest living poet.”

Asked if he thought Dylan’s Nobel lecture – traditionally given by the laureate in Stockholm later in the year – would be a concert, replied: “Let’s hope so.”

Over the years, not everyone has agreed that Dylan was a poet of the first order. Novelist Norman Mailer countered: “If Dylan’s a poet, I’m a basketball player.”

Sara Danius, Permanent Secretary of the Nobel Academy, told a news conference there was “great unity” in the panel’s decision to give Dylan the prize.

Dylan has always been an enigmatic figure. He went into seclusion for months after a motorcycle crash in 1966, leading to stories that he had cracked under the pressure of his new celebrity.

He was born into a Jewish family but in the late 1970s converted to born-again Christianity and later said he followed no organized religion. At another point in his life, Dylan took up boxing.

Dylan’s spokesman, Elliott Mintz, declined immediate comment when reached by phone, citing the early hour in Los Angeles, where it was 3 a.m. at the time of the announcement. Dylan was due to give a concert in Las Vegas on Thursday evening.

Literature was the last of this year’s Nobel prizes to be awarded. The prize is named after dynamite inventor Alfred Nobel and has been awarded since 1901 for achievements in science, literature and peace in accordance with his will. 

Article by The Huffington Post. Read it Here

Pens, Papers and Traditions-Beyond Sanity Publishing’s achievements

Hello there! Long time no book? We have got you covered!

Every story brings us something to learn, something to absorb and something to deliver to the world. I started a project which aimed to bring together hundreds of writers across the globe through literature. A paperback anthology where hundred writers will present their work to the world. I am proud to tell you all that I got over 1000 entries for the collection and we have chosen the final 100. Every writer will be getting an email from us shortly with the details.

We have planned series of Reading Sessions and Book launches across Pakistan. First in Islamabad then in Lahore and Karachi. You can suggest the venues and things you would want to see here: beyondsanitybooks@gmail.com

See details about our events here.

Beyond Sanity Publishing held a book launch of Eliminating Riba-A Way Forward by Summan Waseem. The event took place in July, 2016 at Islamabad Hotel.The book highlights the predetermined return on the use of money.This book is a great effort by the writer to eliminate the usury or interest from our banking system. 

 

We had honorable guests invited at the event and we are pleased to had them on the spot..They all made speeches on the topic under discussion *Elimination of Riba* and also appreciated the work Beyond Sanity Publishing is doing to promote literature in Pakistan. 

 

News?

FIVE WISHES IS HERE!

Pre-order your copy now to get a signed copy for just Rs. 1000 Pak Rupee. We are launching it in our office this FRIDAY! 

Find the event details Here.

 

Event will start at 4 p.m sharp and will have author reader talks, book signing and a giveaway from Beyond Sanity Publishing.

You can always order books by us through our email. Or drop a message Here.

Send us your poetry, artwork and articles too! We love reading.

Fair love.

Lets play fair
Love me, love me not
Take a blood red rose
So pretty soft and tenuous
With full of irritants
Do you feel anything different?
How every thorn cutting your fingers from within out 
Have you ever seen this?
When pretty things change into worse 
From fruits to flames 
Rewards to horrors
Angels to demons
Smiles to sadness
Have you ever experienced?
When everything gets rough like an addiction 
Or someone did black magic 
Now pluck every petal with brutality 
And read it loud with clarity 
One by one, together
Love me, love me not
And feel the aching of cruelty 
That’s how people get plucked from each other
Turned dark
Tainted
And
Cold blooded person
While swallowing the reality.

Maham Fatima for Beyond Sanity Publishing

 

Defining Psychopaths-Hannibal Lecter, Series VS Movies VS Books

Oh Please, If you love Penny Dreadful and Dexter you know exactly how satisfying this gif is.

I tried to make sense of why I was so obsessed with Hannibal, But, I couldn’t. There was always fuss about the comparison. Is the movie better than the book? Or was the book better than the Television series?  Or movie being better than both the books and the Television series? So what did I do to see the difference? I watched the movie, and I read the book.

Silence of the Lambs, the movie, was unusually faithful to the book.  Dozens of lines of dialogue were right away lifted from the book; many of the best ones, in fact.  The screenplay was also skillfully modified, since almost every change in the movie was a development on what was in the book, and things that were polished over in the movie were things that the book defined in more detail than we really needed to know.

The film contains less description than the book, of course. But here is the main story-line; So Dr. Hannibal Lecter is approached by a young cadet with tortured past about an interview, which is later revealed to be part of an investigation regarding a serial killer that skins his victims. During their encounters, Hannibal gets fond of Clarice Starling, cadet and with a main saying, ‘Quid Pro Quo’ he offers Clarice a chance to capture the Buffalo Bill, the serial killer. Using the details provided by Lecter, Clarice guesses that Buffalo Bill considers himself a transgender (when he isn’t) and is creating a “woman suit” because he craves their skin. Clarice figures out that he knew his first target, Francesca Bimmel, and then travels to Ohio to search for more clues. Her search leads her to a local seamstress. The seamstress was no longer living there, but the new tenant turns out to be the murderer. A chase through the serial killer’s puzzle-like basement starts, resulting in Starling gunning down Jame Gumb and rescuing Catherine Martin.

So the long speeches Hannibal gives when talking to Clarice were often hard to grasp in the book but they are amply clear in the film, with Anthony Hopkin’s phenomenal performance.  Since almost all of the dialogue in the book is imitated exactly in the film, I find myself hearing Anthony Hopkins say each word which I could listen every time I watched the film, and I would just hear the story as it was in film, instead of thinking, hey this is a book. There was a song I really felt intrigued from; it was called ‘Goodbye Horses’ which refers to an eastern philosophy to represent the five senses. It narrates that the flying part means that a person would escape the shell of this body to become something else. The words were, “Goodbye Horses, I’m flying over you, Goodbye horses, I’m flying, flying, flying over you”

According to IMDB this film won Oscars in all five categories: Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. Fun fact is that Anthony Hopkins won Best Actor for acting for almost 16 minutes in the film. And he did a great job doing them. Here is what I learned in the film:

Everyone goes through the phase of change or metamorphosis, the storyline explains how people transform under certain conditions and every character in the film wants to bring a change.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate the movie 9 being the best adaptation I have seen, along with Lord of the rings or the Hobbit. The book 10 because it is one of the most intriguing, most beautifully written books I have ever read.

What we are up to!

It is exciting to see people with talent and the will to write joining hands to create beautiful art and literature.

That being said, I announced last year that Beyond Sanity Publishing is accepting submissions for a paperback anthology of the best work submitted. Last date to submit was May 31st. So right now I am going through hundreds of different poems and stories to see what comes where. I will announce the final list on In July!

So that leaves us with little over a week. way too much to do, so little time. Beyond Sanity Publishing is currently working on the following projects:

• The Youth Of Pakistan by Hafiza Noor.ul.Ain
• Psychaotic by Irum Zahra (2nd Edition)
• The Tales of Crucified Blunt by Areesh Fatmee
• Five Wishes and the prophecy of the prince by Faran Kiani
• Out of the labyrinth by Zoha Hidayat and Saja Ali
• Reneging Quiescence by Dr. Samiha Zubair
• Eliminating Riba- A Way Forward by Summan Waseem

Many other projects are in pipeline as well, including my personal favorite, Humans of ICG. I studied in Islamabad College for girls for 12 years and it was a long long time. I learnt so much and I went through so many emotional changes during that time. ICG was and is a place where we made friends, had endless gossip sessions, motivational pep talks sessions, Oh and the students week was the best of all. Funfairs, concerts, book fairs. What was not there?

Sadly, not me anymore. Everyone graduated and then their sisters are there and their cousins and the cycle goes on. The story goes on. So I decided to make a Facebook platform where everyone who has attended ICG can submit a story of their time in ICG and other students can read and share and relate to the same things. This project is lead by Maham Fatima, an excellent student of ICG and a very important member of Team Beyond Sanity.

We have also started a giveaway, Enter Here! winner will get a free BOOK from us and an Eid gift! How cool is that. 

Then, we are currently taking submissions for book reviews ans marketing. If you’re already a published writer, let us help you in promoting your work to our audience.

Highlight of this week is Noor.ul.ain’s National Television Interview, that you can watch Here.  We are so proud of her. To order her book, please drop an email at beyondsanitybooks@gmail.com

SUMMERS! Send us your summer book collection. we want to know what you’e reading.

Have fun!

 

 

Humans are fragile creatures

World consist of billions of humans Creatures are the beautiful elements of this genetic universe. Regardless the cast, color all human s are equal and deserves the best around them. We live in a world where people are rich, poor or living average life, though they can feel, live the nature either they are billionaire or poor so they have every right to express what they feel that why we are considered as fragile creatures. We can feel the pain we also get hurt. Every living tangible thing is different by nature deep inside the behavior to! But their acts can affect them no matter what. Male are always considered as strong entity. Whereas women are considered as weak as they are physically weak, but that is the one of the fact one cannot argue. Are they supposed to fight? To show their strength?

Yes they are strong ! Strong enough to represent their ability yet again, the perception is they are fragile feature. Because they Are supposed to feel the pain or get hurt more than the man. Human beings are most explosives with their ideas on the other hand most kind, a savior for others too! No offense we are too much in technology driven world because of this we are so. much dependent on the technology which is point for us to ponder for. Persons achievement in this world is the ability of their own who reorder the world. Yet they are big flows in them to overcome that each attribution should fight hard and show the world that we can bounce back and emotions can be kept a part to capture the word for them. 

” God made the world, humans made it worth living for”

Awais Tariq from BYTE for Beyond Sanity Publishing

Let Writers Love.

Don’t let a writer fall in love with you if you’re afraid of the attention.

Because they will notice everything – the way you wrinkle your forehead when completely clueless about something. How you absentmindedly scratch your knee when furiously scribbling notes. The soft sigh that escapes your lips when you lean back on your pillow, tired after a day’s work. They will notice the slightest of purrs that emanates from you as you pull a blanket over your body, and the softest of smiles in which your left dimple flashes merrily.

Don’t let a writer fall in love with you if you’re apprehensive of taking care.

They will be emotional – dramatic too, sometimes to the extent of driving you crazy. But don’t lose your cool when, and not if, they do that when you two fight. Look into their eyes and see past the heightened emotions within their soul. Don’t take offense when they make compare situations to some scene from some book they read in some bookstore. Instead, take their hand and convince them that you are not one of the bad guys they’ve read about. Emphasize on how you’re not Prince Charming, or a knight in shining Armour either – although they know for a fact that those don’t exist. Just tell them how you’re…you. And honestly, if you mean even a little bit to them, that is going to be much more than enough.

Don’t let a writer fall in love with you if you’re not going to let them know why.

Because they will be curious. Curious about why your eyes glitter magically when you see someone perform on stage. Inquisitive about why you steel you jaw every time the topic of childhood comes up in the most random of conversations, and why you quickly steer the topic away from yours. They will want to know why you hide the slightest of tremors in your fingers as you light a match. Be prepared to give an answer to their curious eyes when they see you pause for the smallest second at your ex-best friend’s contact – someone you haven’t talked to in months because of some small stupid fight you two had, but neither of you is willing to bow down – in your phone and scroll rapidly ahead.

Don’t let a writer fall in love with you if you’re afraid of the idea of Forever.

Because they will immortalize you with their words. If a sculptor loves you, they will chisel your face into stone. If a chef loves you, they will bake soufflés and tarts for you that are lighter than air, sinking under the weight of their own promise, melting into sweetness the moment you put them in your mouth. If a painter loves you, they will create magic with brush strokes and water and paint onto their canvas, your face hidden in the shadows of the sun hitting the mountains at sunset. But when a writer loves you, they create another You. You will be the muse behind so many of their poems, their pieces, their writings. Words are their weapons that they sharpen against the stone their experience, the sparks that fly off igniting inspiration in their mind. They will describe you and your actions in ways even you were unaware of. They will startle you with their observation, maybe even scare you by how open you were to them. They will take you by surprise, and will never stop for as long as you know them.

But while not letting a writer fall in love with you, be careful not to fall in love with them yourself.

Disclaimer: This piece was Submitted by Ananya Bhardwaj to The Artelier