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EraseRestart 16th issue: Awareness 👁👁 . Hi everyone! The 16th issue of EraseRestart is here to look into awareness. Everyone is raising awareness about something these days, but why? What is a mental health advocate? Since 1949, Mental Health America has established Mental Health (Awareness) Month, observed every year in May all across the United States (and beyond, thanks to new technologies). We have definitely moved forward since the late 40s/early 50s, when this action was first initiated. We’re definitely more aware and sensitive about social issues that tantalise our communities. People are keen on talking more and louder about mental health these days. We speak about it, but do we listen? Part of raising awareness is educating ourselves. What is mental illness? What are the mental health disorders? How can we achieve productive advocacy and help destigmatise mental illness? Starting from somewhere, we can take cues from Mental Health America and be inspired by their commitment and resilience. Mental health is part of the bigger conversation about public health – something that should matter to all. We must keep listening, learning, talking about it and taking action. For a more inclusive world. Thank you for stopping by, SP 🌝💚

Ein Beitrag geteilt von Sarah P. (@sarahpofficial) am Mai 10, 2019 um 3:09 PDT

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EraseRestart 15th issue: Depression 🥀 . Hi everyone! This issue will be looking into depression – one of the most common illnesses. According to World Health Organization, 300 million people around the world have depression which makes it the leading cause of disability worldwide. It can affect anyone; that’s why it’s important to educate ourselves on what it is, what could the symptoms and the risk factors be and how to treat it. In regards to the cure of depression, although we have the tools, unfortunately, many patients remain untreated. That may be due to the lack of resources (reduced funds, too few trained mental health professionals, too few mental health care facilities), limited to no accessibility to receive treatment (high costs, not many options for remote communities/rural areas), the social stigma that (unnecessarily)surrounds mental health… The message EraseRestart wants to send with this issue is that no matter the case and the circumstances, if you need help, please reach out to your closest ones and/or your national/local crisis lines. Depression is a serious illness and needs to/can be treated. Always remember, we’re together in this – talking about mental health. Thank you for stopping by, SP 🌝 ✨ (List of suicide crisis lines – worldwide: http://bit.ly/suicidecrisislines)

Ein Beitrag geteilt von Sarah P. (@sarahpofficial) am Apr 4, 2019 um 11:59 PDT

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EraseRestart 14th issue: Women for Mental Health ✊🌹 . Hi everyone! As you know, today we celebrate International Women’s Day. Inspired by this year’s #balanceforbetter campaign, this EraseRestart is dedicated to the women who came before us and worked hard to break the stigma that surrounds mental health, the women who are achieving great things the now and the children of the future as then, hopefully, gender won’t be used to discriminate, indicate “superiority” and/or keep one away from reaching their full potential. Happy International Women’s Day and happy scrolling! SP🌹 . . #iwd #internationalwomensday #forabetterworld #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters

Ein Beitrag geteilt von Sarah P. (@sarahpofficial) am Mär 7, 2019 um 11:06 PST

Photo by Colette Pomerleau.

Sometimes we have to celebrate defeats. After all, they’re responsible for who we become – way more than our victories. Maenads is a song about all those nights that are empty of feelings. I used to have plenty of those in my younger years. Nights where I felt trapped in an image I had built for myself and for the people around me; careless, but most certainly not carefree. Troubles were around the corner, waiting for me to give in and give away, becoming emptier from drink to drink and happily reckless for a moment or two. A lotus eater, if you please.

The visuals for the video are a fast-forward to my life in Berlin – rather secluded, away from distractions. “Reformed”, but far from perfect. This isolation-by-choice gave me time to process life events that had shaped me, as well as start healing from traumatic experiences of the past. It wasn’t easy – things happen, life happens, and seclusion isn’t always the solution. That said, I came to terms with my mental health state, faced my demons eye-to-eye, and learned to love my flaws and scars because they’re a big part of me. I started seeing the world clearer and wanted to do something for those things I’m not a fan of – inequality, injustice, lack of education. I now know that change takes time, so I’ve geared myself with patience. Releasing art that champions awareness and coexistence will always be my thing – some people call it activism, I call it breathing.

I wanted to work on a project with birds for a long time. The idealisation of flying – as in “flying away from troubles”, is something I always found interesting… As humans, we have these extreme tendencies – one of dwelling on situations, one of fleeing the scene, when things get too much. In most religions, birds are omens from a god – omens for hope, patience or warning. Then again, as much as we love seeing those birds fly free in the skies, we have this fascination of caging them – to look at them as they sing their beautiful songs…

In the video, the bird symbolises mental illness. My coming to terms with it, but also not letting it overtake my life – as it used to, in the past. For those who don’t know, I’ve been struggling with depression and anxiety for a long time. Mental illness never truly goes away, but learning more about it can help understand what’s going on inside your body and mind and therefore, control it better.

Through my video for Maenads, I wanted to break the stereotype of “mental illness equals a sad life”. Obviously, there are moments where life seems a lot to take in – but that’s for everyone. Let’s take depression, as an example. According to WHO, 300 million people around the world have depression. Some of them might be clinically depressed, while others might have high-functioning depression. That means, that in some cases depression is more obvious, whereas in others it’s almost invisible. Whichever the case, when you start talking about it, you instantly become a sympathy receiver. People start becoming increasingly aware of your illness and treat you like the sad person they think you are. Breaking the stigma is also about challenging these stereotypes. Genuine caring instead of preset sympathies for that “poor thing who’s struggling” can save time (and lives).

Through actions and props (eg. the yellow book about comedy, the play with the water spray), I added a more light-hearted touch on living with mental illness. From my experience, there are days and days and that’s what I wanted to show through my visuals.

The visuals on screen represent the information overload we receive every day. There is a contradiction between the routine fact-check we all do when it comes to news and the constant striving for a perfect life – as seen on TV & social media. This is a theme that I’ve been exploring for a while now (“Millennial Girl”, “Bits&Bytes” – to be released in 2019/2020). I called it Maenads TV, for obvious reasons, but also to reference the constant exposure to all this information, at a maenadic speed. The kaleidoscopic effect serves as an acknowledgment of the general frustration over politics, the economy and the outlandishly rich lifestyle idealisation vs. the increasingly more poverty-stricken strata of our societies. All that’s achieved with the help of my “Greek Maenads” who appeared on the other parts of the Maenads video trilogy.

All this frustration is impacting an already-ill mental health, but also affects our societies, leading to collective mental health problems. For instance, apathy could be an indication of several mental health disorders. Having said that, the whole point of the video is to show that it’s possible to control one’s mental health, rather than living a life controlled by mental illness.

I would like to say that this is a symbolic piece of my artistic output. That means that no, living with mental illness is no fun and games and I most definitely don’t mean to offend or disregard mental health patients. I truly believe that balance can be found between darkness and light and that’s what I strive for, whilst navigating through my own struggles with mental health.

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EraseRestart, 13th issue: 1 Year of Talking About It 💚 . Hi friends! This EraseRestart issue is rather celebratory. A year ago, I decided to start publishing EraseRestart and commence a conversation on here around mental health. Every month, I dedicated time to educate myself on mental health and learn about the latest studies and their findings. Through this platform, I was given the chance to connect with lots of activists, people who want to follow a similar path or simply felt connected to the topic of breaking the stigma that surrounds mental health. I’m eternally grateful to all the people who stopped by and scrolled through EraseRestart. I’m oh-so-thankful to those who listened and became more mindful in their everyday lives. EraseRestart is here and will keep being published, in the hope of building bridges within our societies. For more understanding and kindness, as I always like to say. Thank you all for your time and for showing love to this project. Sky is the limit, so here we come! Happy scrolling and happy first year anniversary to EraseRestart! SP 🌝✨

Ein Beitrag geteilt von Sarah P. (@sarahpofficial) am Feb 8, 2019 um 12:05 PST

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EraseRestart, 12th issue: In Literature 📚 . Hi everyone! The 12th issue of EraseRestart is about classic books that touch on mental illness. In Mrs Dalloway, Virginia Woolf’s character Septimus Warren Smith, a WWI veteran, struggles with post-traumatic stress and depression. Virginia Woolf possibly drew inspiration from her struggles with her own mental health; the character is written in a truthful, representational manner. In Hamlet, William Shakespeare explores madness, depression and suicide with great sensitivity. Especially Ophelia’s character is written in a very humane and respectful way. In The Bell Jar, Esther Greenwood is an almost autobiographical character for Sylvia Plath – a young woman who’s struggling with clinical depression and suicide ideation, experiencing life at a mental institution in the 50s. Lastly, in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield – the protagonist of the book, may not necessarily struggle with mental illness – the character’s mental state has been debated over the years. That said, Holden is surely suffering by Weltschmerz and is tormented by existentialism. In your opinion, which book depicts mental illness in a genuine way? Which book has brought you closer to understanding own or your loved ones’ struggles? Feel free to let me know in the comments or through DMs. Happy scrolling and thank you for stopping by, SP 🌝✨

Ein Beitrag geteilt von Sarah P. (@sarahpofficial) am Jan 11, 2019 um 12:04 PST

Dear all,

my Maenads EP came out today. On my 29th birthday, I couldn’t be more grateful for my family, friends, as well as for my growing Sarah P. / EraseRestart team. Maenads EP was conceived and written from winter till spring 2018. It was recorded this summer at my favorite Artracks Studios in Athens. Maenads EP serves as the link between Who Am I and my upcoming full-length album Plotting Revolutions. Sappho’s Leap – the intro of Maenads EP – is my first Greek track to publish. Mneme is a (hopefully soothing) lullaby for those burnt by love during a time when wounds mended easier. Lotus Eaters is a song about those who chose to forget – for what it’s worth, we won’t forget, right? Cybele’s Dream is inspired by the stories of my great-grandparents who came to Greece from Smyrna in 1922; we can’t undo our history, but we can learn from it and shape our future. On that note, I call for peaceful co-existence – yet again! Maenads is a cheeky future disco song about Athens, its cliques and its never boring nights.

I don’t want to say more about what inspired me to write this album. I invite you to make it your own. I’m very excited for your feedback and thoughts on my Maenads EP.

Thank you for reading and happy listening.

Love,
Sarah x

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EraseRestart, 11th issue: Through Songs 💛 . Hi all! Do you have a song that you put on when you’re feeling blue? Do you have a song that lifts you up? Music is powerful! Not only it’s got a biological effect on us (can help reduce heart rate, can help increase serotonin levels etc), but it’s also helping us connect with each other and become more social. It’s been reported that music therapy was used for healing purposes in Ancient Egypt & Ancient Greece. It’s proven by studies that music therapy improves the lives of those struggling with schizophrenia. Music has also been helping individuals cope with their depression and anxiety. I’d like to hear from you – your favorite songs, lyrics that helped you through tough times. I’d also like to invite you to care for yourselves this weekend and take it slow. I compiled a Spotify playlist titled “Self-Care/EraseRestart” with some super sweet tunes released in 2018 – candy for your ears! Happy scrolling and happy listening 🎧, SP 🌝✨

Ein Beitrag geteilt von Sarah P. (@sarahpofficial) am Dez 7, 2018 um 12:03 PST

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EraseRestart, 10th issue: On Screen 🎬 . Hi all! The 10th issue of EraseRestart is a bit different. It comes with film and series recommendations – films and series that shed some light into dealing with mental illness, whether yourself, or through a loved one. On our way to breaking the stigma, we should acknowledge creators who went against the mainstream, offensive (on screen) depiction of mental illness and showed us that struggling with a mental health issue doesn’t make a person less human or less in need for friendship and love. I’ve put together some of my own favorites but I’d love to hear yours – you can either leave me a comment or DM me films and series that lift you up after a tough day or that you found them honest and realistic in representing mental illness. Happy scrolling and happy screening 🍿, SP 🌝✨

Ein Beitrag geteilt von Sarah P. (@sarahpofficial) am Nov 8, 2018 um 11:24 PST

Dear reader,

I haven’t written to you for a long time. I hope you’re well. I’m writing to share new music with you. It’s my new song “Mneme” – a lullaby inspired by memories of young love, the old self and more carefree times. Mneme serves as a prelude for what I have prepared to share with you through my upcoming EP Maenads – tales of utopia and sisterhood, taken straight out of a parallel universe where logic is freedom and art.

I’m incredibly proud to present to you the visuals for Mneme – the first part of a trilogy exploring the female power and the way it’s viewed by the society. Mneme represents the innocence of the yesteryear – an innocence long lost in an effort to grow up fast. The video is inspired by the three original ancient Greek muses – Aoide (the muse of voice and song), Melete (the muse of thought and meditation) and Mneme (the muse of memory). Together they become the inspiration for poetic and musical creation. Filmed under the Athenian sun by George Geranios, it’s featuring Clio Arvaniti (Aoide) and Dora Pantazopoulou (Melete).

Musically speaking, Mneme is one of my most romantic and dreamy songs to date. It’s mysteriously abstract and I’d like to keep it that way. I invite you to interpret it however you want. I encourage you to make it mean something to you and let it soothe you. That’s what it did to me – it helped my old wounds heal and it calmed me down. I wouldn’t like to write more; I usually fill these digital pages, but not today. Today, I’ll let my music speak, my Mneme. This is a new musical era for me and I truly hope you’ll enjoy it.

Sending you much love and sunny postcards from Athens.

Sarah