Depression, anxiety and drug use are heavy topics to base a show around. But the goal of a series of performances this past weekend in Charlotte was to demonstrate there’s a way to work through those struggles. The journey includes stumbles, but also laughter and victories.
Eight women took the stage this past Sunday afternoon. They were greeted enthusiastically by an audience of a few dozen people at a theater on the campus of Central Piedmont Community College near uptown.
Gwendolyn Devins took the microphone to recount her efforts to overcome depression. The poem was heavy but triumphant.
“My flowers are blooming; let me roar. One day soon, I will flap my wings and soar," Devins recited forcefully. "This here is my brave."
"This Is My Brave" is a national effort aimed at empowering people dealing with mental health challenges and substance use through storytelling. The show was brought to Charlotte by Mecklenburg County’s public health department, where Devins works. When she heard it was coming, she knew it was time to tell her story about depression to help others.
Devins has dealt with depression since she was a teenager.
“I wanted to be that A person. I wanted to be that A student in the classroom. I wanted to be part of those honors classes and AP classes and all of that,” Devins said. “I wanted those grants. I wanted those scholarships, and I just felt like I couldn't communicate that effectively.”
Devins said she still struggles with depression but is getting closer to the finish line by writing poetry and telling her story.
“It's helped to bring some softness to the hardness that I wear, to the hardness that I struggle with a lot of times,” Devins said. “Poetry is very soft and subtle for me, and it has helped relax me.”
This is the second year Charlotte has hosted "This Is My Brave." The show debuted in Arlington, Virginia, in 2014. Since then, the group says, over 800 people in shows across the country have shared their stories. In Charlotte, the show’s producer hoped to have men on the stage too, but the auditions drew almost entirely women.
Beth Gatlin stepped up to the microphone with her guitar to applause and performed a song she wrote.
"I know it ain't easy braving the wilderness ..." she began.
Gatlin is a mother of two from Gaston County. She was diagnosed with depression at the age of 19. Gaitlin said she was never taught how to process emotions.
“Suicidal thoughts were just very heavy in my mind, and I couldn’t fight it anymore. I ended up just losing my mind,” Gatlin said. “It was a bit of a mental breakdown that went deeper into drug addiction, and I couldn’t do any of the responsibilities. I couldn’t take care of my kids.”
Turning to music helped Gatlin get moving again. Two years ago, she started performing at open mic nights.
“Where I was scared, it would transform into courage and it was just a way to walk through everything,” Gatlin said. “Not just sit in it and hope for better, but actually take action.”
Gatlin says her aim is to help people open up.
“The depression and anxiety tell you that nobody knows what you're going through. You're all alone. Nobody can help you, and this song just represents someone who can say, ‘I know what you're going through, but I also know what's on the other side, and you can get through it, ’” Gatlin said.
She wraps her performance up singing, "I know it ain't easy, but I know there is hope."
"This Is My Brave" shows over the weekend also included ones on violence and youth mental health. The hope is that it will become an annual event in Charlotte that helps people heal.
If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
