CL’s sister shared about a time she was severely depressed, and how CL helped her to overcome it
CL’s younger sister, Lee Harin, posted a personal message on Instagram about her mental health and what she learned from her experience.
Lee Harin recently posted a photo of herself with her older sister, CL, and accompanied the photo with her story of who she is and how her experiences had shaped her to become who she is today.
She also provided some valuable advice to those in similar situations to her and ended her post with motivational words that hoped to encourage youths to continue exploring both themselves and the world.
“Hello. I am Lee Harin, and I turned 22 this year. I’m currently majoring in accounting and finance at the University of Hong Kong, while also modeling from time to time.
I studied abroad from a young age, and I spent my childhood studying and playing moderately, and I wasn’t particularly good or bad at anything.Even though I had an older sister who traveled and experienced challenges, failure, and success all by herself, I didn’t want to be compared to my greatly successful sister or disappoint my family, so I lived like a coward and thought only my academics and a specialized job was what my future depended on.
And like that, I entered my 20’s, and by the time I was done with my freshmen year at university, I ignored the bright youth an energy laying dormant inside me, and lived a very lonely and exhausting life.
Having trapped myself in my own box, I couldn’t love myself. I couldn’t take care of my health or strength, pimples covered my face, I reached the highest weight I’d ever reached, and emotionally, I was severely depressed.
Because of that, I saw the world with a sensitive, sharp, and crooked attitude. I couldn’t freely consult my family or friends because I wasn’t the type to share my stories, I didn’t want my parents to worry about their daughter who lived abroad by herself, and I wanted people to think I was fun to be around at all times.
But I guess my ugly and real emotions and behavior must have manifested themselves subconsciously, so my sister reached out to me and asked if I wanted to travel and work with her after I take a leave of absence from school. And for those 2 years I took the leave of absence, I saw, learned, and experienced many things. I realized I had been cornering myself in an already small world, and I’d never looked back or reflected on myself.
I was so frustrated at myself and thought I was pathetic for having lived so dishonorably and neglectfully during my teen years, which I’ll never be able to get back.
The reason why I quit the job I was at last year and returned to school was because I felt it was important for the future I was carefully planning for myself. I’m not very smart, so I’m now attending school, studying until dawn, and getting satisfactory grades. I started modeling because everyone I met during those 2 years suggested it, and now I’m getting calls from many others so I’m continuing steadily at it.
I decided not to throw away opportunities just because I’m scared. My beautiful 20’s won’t be coming back, so I decided not to waste it by worrying about others’ views of me or feeling restless. I think of my modeling and returning to school as a newborn symbol of courage, and I’m living earnestly to compensate for who I was in my teens.
If you’re in your 20’s like me, I’d like to say something.
Please spend your once-in-a-lifetime 20’s in your own beautiful, fun, and shining way. Grab onto new opportunities without fearing it.
Spend your days challenging yourself, failing, succeeding, and grabbing or making opportunities for yourself.
Don’t skip meals, and sometimes eat healthy and work out to take care of your body.
This is a time for you to explore who you are, so don’t let one job define your personality or yourself, don’t make compromises for anyone, and express yourself in various ways, almost as if you’re temperamental.
Let’s spend our 20’s together and share courage with each other. I hope we can do the same for our 30’s.
Thank you for reading my sudden, unorganized, and long story. I look forward to your support.
From Lee Harin.”— Lee Harin
Lee Harin’s long and heartfelt message touched the hearts of many fans, and was successful in garnering a ton of support and love from everyone who had come across it. Furthermore, CL left a comment on her sister’s post with a simple yet earnest message.
“I love you”
— 2NE1’s CL
