Welcome to this weeks Flow Feature! Due to a drop in submissions admin took a break from publishing, but after a sudden influx of submissions we’re back and ready to go! We hope you all had a wonderful time during our break and enjoyed the many exciting events that passed in our absence. This weeks Flow Feature is on Elisia-Melody Missen and how Florence + The Machine helped her to overcome ODC and self-harm.
Elisia and her sister have had a rough life. Their family is messed up, in drugs, fights, you name it. Both Elisia and her sister currently live in foster care. Elisia developed obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), making it increasingly difficult for her to concentrate, especially at school. Every time she saw the number three, Elisia would start to shake and would need to find a way to calm down. Before she discovered Florence, she was well on her way to developing triskaidekaphobia.
It was in 2009 that Elisia’s sister introduced her to Florence + The Machine. The first time she watched the music video to Kiss With A Fist she was too young to appreciate Florence, but now Elisia doesn’t know where she would be without her. Elisia has harboured a lot of anger inside, which often leads to thoughts of self-harm. Now that she has Florence, she just needs to put on Kiss With A Fist, and she can imagine taking her anger out on others, giving others a kiss with her fist rather than taking a razor to her skin. Once she puts on her ‘angry song’, Elisia is fine.
How did Elisia find help through a woman that she has never met? Elisia doesn’t know herself. One day, Elisia was coming home from a bad day. She was seeing the number three everywhere, and her mind was forcing her to say it repeatedly. Back then, which was only eight months ago, she would have been overwhelmed and would start crying from the stress. She got home to find that someone had bought her a copy of Ceremonials. Elisia remembers sitting and listening to that one Florence + The Machine song a long time ago (Kiss With A Fist) and thought ‘why not give it a go’. By the time she reached track four, Never Let Me Go, Elisia knew she was in love. Since then Elisia has spent a great deal of time researching Florence, following her social networking sites, doing fact files about her, and most importantly, wishing that she could meet the woman herself.
Elisia truly took on board the messages within the album, and shook it out. The OCD has waned, and has been gone for a long time now. Elisia refused the doctor’s therapy. For Elisia, Florence Leontine Mary Welch is the only therapy that she needs. Not to mention her magical machine with their incredible musical skill that brings the music to life. Elisia was overwhelmed by the love that she had for this band.
But soon, the family stuff grew more difficult, and it became harder for Elisa to cope. She would shut herself away and just put on Ceremonials. She felt that she was breaking down. She couldn’t let the spectrum into her body with all the darkness surrounding her. She just wanted to keep following the heartlines, but couldn’t. Elisia was so scared that the OCD would come back to haunt her. So she bought Lungs. She played Hurrican Drunk. 3 minutes and 13 seconds long. Elisia looked up at her posters of Florence, the beautiful red-haired lady who had also been through so much when she was Elisia’s age and beyond. Elisia listened. Then she knew, for certain, that it was gone. Elisia knew that she would be okay, that she would get through this. There was bad stuff going on in her life, but through it all she had Florence. Elisia read the story featured in August’s edition of ‘The Flow’, and it made her cry to see how lovely Florence is and how much she inspires people. She would give up her own time for so many people, where other big stars may not.
Blinding. A song that means so much to Elisia. It’s about waking up in the real world, the bad world, and you can’t go back. Elisia was shaken awake to the real world, pulled away from her imagination at such a young age. To know that somebody felt the same way? It meant the world to Elisia. This is her song. Florence and her magical machine, and very single track on both Lungs and Ceremonials mean so much to Elisia. It doesn’t matter that Elisia may ot get to meet her idol, because she is never alone with their music. It was as if the music washed her away, and washed away the OCD.
“Florence, if you ever read this, my name is Elisia and you are the number one person in my life. You touched my heart. Thank you, stay strong, and for you other Flows out there who struggle....”
It´s Always Darkest Before The Dawn.
Thank you Elisia for sharing your amazing story! We wish you the best of luck with your life and that you may continue to find your support through Florence + The Machine and the Flows.
We hope you enjoyed this week’s Flow Feature! We have had a fair few submissions recently, but we are still waiting to hear what other incredible stories are out there. Inspire us.
Inspiring Flows Xxx
Elisia and her sister have had a rough life. Their family is messed up, in drugs, fights, you name it. Both Elisia and her sister currently live in foster care. Elisia developed obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), making it increasingly difficult for her to concentrate, especially at school. Every time she saw the number three, Elisia would start to shake and would need to find a way to calm down. Before she discovered Florence, she was well on her way to developing triskaidekaphobia.
It was in 2009 that Elisia’s sister introduced her to Florence + The Machine. The first time she watched the music video to Kiss With A Fist she was too young to appreciate Florence, but now Elisia doesn’t know where she would be without her. Elisia has harboured a lot of anger inside, which often leads to thoughts of self-harm. Now that she has Florence, she just needs to put on Kiss With A Fist, and she can imagine taking her anger out on others, giving others a kiss with her fist rather than taking a razor to her skin. Once she puts on her ‘angry song’, Elisia is fine.
How did Elisia find help through a woman that she has never met? Elisia doesn’t know herself. One day, Elisia was coming home from a bad day. She was seeing the number three everywhere, and her mind was forcing her to say it repeatedly. Back then, which was only eight months ago, she would have been overwhelmed and would start crying from the stress. She got home to find that someone had bought her a copy of Ceremonials. Elisia remembers sitting and listening to that one Florence + The Machine song a long time ago (Kiss With A Fist) and thought ‘why not give it a go’. By the time she reached track four, Never Let Me Go, Elisia knew she was in love. Since then Elisia has spent a great deal of time researching Florence, following her social networking sites, doing fact files about her, and most importantly, wishing that she could meet the woman herself.
Elisia truly took on board the messages within the album, and shook it out. The OCD has waned, and has been gone for a long time now. Elisia refused the doctor’s therapy. For Elisia, Florence Leontine Mary Welch is the only therapy that she needs. Not to mention her magical machine with their incredible musical skill that brings the music to life. Elisia was overwhelmed by the love that she had for this band.
But soon, the family stuff grew more difficult, and it became harder for Elisa to cope. She would shut herself away and just put on Ceremonials. She felt that she was breaking down. She couldn’t let the spectrum into her body with all the darkness surrounding her. She just wanted to keep following the heartlines, but couldn’t. Elisia was so scared that the OCD would come back to haunt her. So she bought Lungs. She played Hurrican Drunk. 3 minutes and 13 seconds long. Elisia looked up at her posters of Florence, the beautiful red-haired lady who had also been through so much when she was Elisia’s age and beyond. Elisia listened. Then she knew, for certain, that it was gone. Elisia knew that she would be okay, that she would get through this. There was bad stuff going on in her life, but through it all she had Florence. Elisia read the story featured in August’s edition of ‘The Flow’, and it made her cry to see how lovely Florence is and how much she inspires people. She would give up her own time for so many people, where other big stars may not.
Blinding. A song that means so much to Elisia. It’s about waking up in the real world, the bad world, and you can’t go back. Elisia was shaken awake to the real world, pulled away from her imagination at such a young age. To know that somebody felt the same way? It meant the world to Elisia. This is her song. Florence and her magical machine, and very single track on both Lungs and Ceremonials mean so much to Elisia. It doesn’t matter that Elisia may ot get to meet her idol, because she is never alone with their music. It was as if the music washed her away, and washed away the OCD.
“Florence, if you ever read this, my name is Elisia and you are the number one person in my life. You touched my heart. Thank you, stay strong, and for you other Flows out there who struggle....”
It´s Always Darkest Before The Dawn.
Thank you Elisia for sharing your amazing story! We wish you the best of luck with your life and that you may continue to find your support through Florence + The Machine and the Flows.
We hope you enjoyed this week’s Flow Feature! We have had a fair few submissions recently, but we are still waiting to hear what other incredible stories are out there. Inspire us.
Inspiring Flows Xxx
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