Beauty - Is It Real?

I know for a fact that everyday, we all look in the mirror and frown. There's always something about our face that we don't like, or something about our body that we would change if we could. It's common knowledge that nobody ever feels comfortable with their personal appearance, no matter how much we hear compliments from people who love us. If your boyfriend or girlfriend tells you that you look "too cute today," you'd smile and chuckle, then frown. Because then, you remember how ugly you are. It's a terrible cycle that might continue forever if we don't put a stop to it. I have two videos to show you.

1. Familiar Faces - The Science of Attraction

What does this video tell you? It tells me a lot about beauty. That guy is very right--we are told how to be attractive by the media and society. We are told what is beauty. We always compare ourselves to celebrities, but in reality we can never be like them. In fact, most of them don't even look like that. I think all young people should realize this... it might make us feel a little better. It might make us feel less pressured to look good. What is beauty? It's how much other people love you, and how much you can love them. Like the girl said in the video, "After all we've done today, I think that if somebody does go and get plastic surgery to correct their nose, your partner who knows you best will think, 'That's not you. That's not how I recognize you, that's not how I am attracted to you.'" What does this say? Well, we're perfect exactly the way we are. You shouldn't change for anybody. Especially yourself.

2. P!nk - Stupid Girls

Don't be a stupid girl. Don't hurt yourself to look thin. Be yourself. Like P!nk would say, you shouldn't try and be anybody you aren't. It's unnatural and just hurts yourself. So remember: don't change yourself to look better for anybody. It's not worth it.

Much love,
-Apollo

You're Awesome

I found this, and thought, "I need to blog this." It made me smile and feel special, so I got it to show all of you. Hopefully, it will make you feel awesome and special too. It's a video a friend of mine posted on Smithteens. And I just love it. It's called, "You're Awesome." It's very inspirational and cheery. Enjoy.

Oh, and you aren't fired. Just awesome.

-Apollo



The website is up!

HELLO readers! The official website for this blog is up and running. Please visit it. I already have some posts, and I'm looking for members to join it. You don't have to if you don't like, but I would appreciate it if you did. On this site, you can help others while they help you too on the forum. Thanks!
http://www.ineedlifeineedlife.webs.com/
Hugsies!
-Apollo

I'm Here To Help You

DEAR you,

I want to help you. I'm not mad at you for anything, and I certainly don't hate you. I don't think you're fat or ugly, or a screw-up, or a fail at life. I think you're a person, and I might even venture to say that you are a good person. Maybe you're a good person who just made a few bad choices, or just was around people who made bad choices. Yet I don't hate you.
You might have cut. You might have considered suicide. You might have attempted it. And I'm not mad... I just want to help you. That's right, I want to help you. I want to make you feel better and make you smile. I've done it before to others, and I know I can do it again.
Leave a comment if you have something you need to talk about. I promise that I won't judge you or share this with anybody you don't want me to. I swear on my life that I just want to listen and help.
Whatever you say, I won't hate you.
Thanks for listening.

Love,
Apollo

Suicide Statistics

I found this today, and thought I should show it to you guys. This is not meant to discourage anybody in any way, but to educate you in this. Here's the link that I got it from: Save - Suicide Facts

"Suicide Facts

1. Suicide takes the lives of nearly 30,000 Americans every year.
2. Many who attempt suicide never seek professional care.
3. There are twice as many deaths due to suicide than HIV/AIDS.
4. Between 1952 and 1995, suicide in young adults nearly tripled.
5. Over half of all suicides occur in adult men, ages 25-65.
6. In the month prior to their suicide, 75% of elderly persons had visited a physician.
7. Suicide rates in the United States are highest in the spring.
8. Over half of all suicides are completed with a firearm.
9. For young people 15-24 years old, suicide is the third leading cause of death.
10. Suicide rates among the elderly are highest for those who are divorced or widowed.
11. 80% of people that seek treatment for depression are treated successfully.
12. 15% of those who are clinically depressed die by suicide.
13. There are an estimated 8 to 25 attempted suicides to 1 completion.
14. The highest suicide rate is among men over 85 years old: 65 per 100,000 persons.
15. 1 in 65,000 children ages 10 to 14 commit suicide each year.
16. Substance abuse is a risk factor for suicide.
17. The strongest risk factor for suicide is depression.
18. By 2010, depression will be the #1 disability in the world. (World Health Organization)
19. In 2004, 32,439 people died by suicide. (CDC)
20. Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the U.S. (homicide is 15th). (CDC)
21. Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death for 15- to 24-year-old Americans. (CDC)
22. It is estimated that there are at least 4.5 million survivors in this country. (AAS)
23. An average of one person dies by suicide every 16.2 minutes. (CDC, AAS)
24. There are four male suicides for every female suicide. (CDC, AAS)
25. Research has shown medications and therapy to be effective suicide prevention.
26. Suicide can be prevented through education and public awareness.
27. Last year SAVE educated 10,618 youth & parents on depression and suicide prevention.
28. Last year SAVE received 810 requests for information from 72 countries.
29. In 2004 it is estimated there were 811,000 suicide attempts in the US. (AA)
30. There are three female suicide attempts for each male attempt. (CDC, AAS)
31. According to the Violent Death Reporting System, in 2004 73% of suicides also tested positive for at least one substance (alcohol, cocaine, heroin or marijuana)."

WHAT can we learn from this? Quite frankly, a lot of it scares me. I think most of them shouldn't be true. And I think a lot of don't have to be... It is my opinion that we can fix this. The main thing you can do is to talk to us here at Help! if you have any problems with this. If you feel like you are going to kill yourself, please send us a message or leave a comment. We won't share anything with anybody or harass you, or even judge you. We just want to help. And we will try our best to make you feel better.
And beyond that, you can reach out to others with this problem and help them as well. I think we can help change this... but it all depends on you being able to speak up.

Much love,
Apollo

Three Inspirational Songs... and their Meanings to Me.

I have a few songs that I want to show you that are inspirational and very meaningful to me. I have provided a little story as well to further explain them. I suggest listening to these songs if you are ever in need of help and there is nobody there. They helped solve a lot of my problems, so maybe they'll do the same for you.

1. Swim - Jack's Mannequin

THIS song gets me every time. "Swim" is a true masterpiece. Andy really outdid himself on this this one. Like most of his songs, this is about leukemia. This is the second single for their second album. It has received many positive reviews and memories.

I quote this song all the time to my friends. I had a friend in a really difficult class, and she was struggling to keep up. She said that she didn't think she could go any longer with this. And I sang this song for her... and it convinced her to keep going. Somewhere inside of her, this song made sense and gave her the strength to carry on.

What I think Andy is trying to say is that when things seem bad, don't give up; you need to "keep your head above" and you'll be alright. Don't give in, because life is the horizon.

2. Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley



I love this song... Originally written by Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley made a cover of it for his 1994 album, Grace. This song charted a sensational #1 on the Billboard's Hot Digital songs. Ever since, other artists have sung it again, and it has become both a religious symbol and a household term for 'finally.'

I had a friend who was dying of heart disease. She sang this song constantly to try and cheer her up. It made her smile in her last few days, which amazed all of us. The day after she died, me and the rest of her friends cried over her listening to this song. At first we thought it was reminding us that she was gone. But then we realized it was reminding us who were were and who she was and who she tried to be. This song helped us get through that... it might help you get through anything you have that's troubling you.

3. How To Save A Life - The Fray



"How To Save A Life" is the seventh longest charting song on the Hot Billboard 100 Chart in history, tied with Santana's "Seed." It is the Fray's second single, and probably their most famous song to date. It is on the album sharing the same name.

One night I got into a fight with my best friend. We called each other nasty names and screamed things at one another. I can't believe how brutal it was. And the next day, we both felt like crap. Neither of us felt like apologizing, so it was up to this song to save us. I text my friend all the lyrics to this song, and it touched them so much that we made up and became best friends again. This song is very powerful.

Disclaimer: the songs and videos rights belong to each artist respectively. I own nothing. No copyright infringement intended.

Andy McMahon

LET me tell you a short story...

ANDY MCMAHON of Jack's Mannequin and Something Corporate (aka the guy singing in this song) is one of my heroes. He is an amazing singer, piano player, and song writer. I love him so much, and I am inspired to be just like him.
Three months before his debut album with Jack's Mannequin came out, he received word that he could no longer perform any concerts or shows. He was diagnosed with  acute lymphoblastic leukemia on June 1st, 2005. Later, he had to shave his whole head and undergo months of treatment.
He almost died.
But now Andy is alive, and recording music. Jack's Mannequin's second album, The Glass Passenger is available now, containing this song in it. The entire album, this song as well, had its inspirational roots in leukemia and staying alive.
That's where the web link of this blog comes from.
Andy, and all of his fans, are happy to be alive. Life comes with a huge price, and some of us aren't as lucky as others. Some leukemia patients die. Lots of them do. But leukemia isn't the end of it. There's cancer... lots of different cancers. There are people who right now would kill to be alive, but that opportunity just isn't open to them.

It is my perspective that nobody should take their own lives when life like this is so precious. Sometimes you don't know how lucky you are just to be alive.

Video and song all rights belong to Jack's Mannequin. I own nothing.

This is a blog to help you.

Hello.
My name's Apollo, and I want to help you. I don't know who you are or where you're from... but I know that you want help. That's why you're here. And this blog is dedicated to helping people of all kinds, shapes and forms, from anywhere in the world, with any problems at all. It is free, and I just do it because I'm filled with love and want to spread it.
If you need help with anything, leave a comment.
If you feel like you are going to commit suicide, leave a comment.
If you are being harassed and need love, leave a comment.
If you need to vent, leave a comment.
If you just want to say hi, leave a comment.
Thanks so much.