3 Things We Can Learn From The Death of Cheslie Kryst
Beautiful, smart, sociable, down-to-earth, and friendly. A perfect figure of a “Beauty with a brain” woman. As a Miss USA 2019 and the top 10 of Miss Universe 2019 aren’t just one of her achievements, she was more than that! Based on Wikipedia, as a lawyer and correspondent of Extra, she also worked pro bono not only for clients who were low-level drug offenders but also with Brittany K. Barnett of the Buried Alive Project, to free a client sentenced to life imprisonment.
On January 30, the former Miss USA winner Cheslie Kryst died from suicide. The model fell to her death after jumping from a 60-story high-rise in midtown Manhattan.
Honestly, she is one of my favorite women who inspired me to get an MBA title someday. She had achieved what many people like me could only dream of: beauty, brain, recognition, and valuable purpose.
A couple of years ago, I watched her performance at Miss Universe and started falling in love with her beautiful and charismatic soul. Pstt, she was the first Black woman who wins my heart on the stage of Miss Universe, even though she wasn’t crowned as a Miss Universe at that time.
I was devastated when the first time I got information about her loss and tried to make sense of what is happened. Cheslie, your loss has left me speechless and heartbroken. It hurts me to think that you were feeling so much pain until I realize that nobody deserves to go through this. That moment really taught me that depression and mental illness can affect everyone, no matter how strong they are, perhaps someone in social media who shares their happiness could be someone who struggling in silence, or me, myself. This is everyone’s struggle, but it’s the truth of life. We must admit it no matter how hard it is.
Here is what things I’ve learnt from the loss of Cheslie Kryst :
- You Don’t Know What’s Going On Behind A Smile
We live in the era of the rapid growth of social media. Everyone cleverly hides everything easily on social media, especially just from one post or one picture, but the fact in the real life is the opposite. I got a warning through my head while writing this article, we must respect other people. Sounds cliche, but you know what I mean, it’s pretty hard to deliver kindness and respect wherever and whenever we are since we lived in the rapid growth of social media.
As a human, we can’t blame time or God or anything, but we can work hand in hand to respect others. “If it’s not now, when? If it’s not me, who?” so, practice this question in your mind.
2. Be Happy, Don’t Let Anyone Take Your Happiness
My mom once told me that we should take our happiness first before sharing it with other people. She is right (yup, she is always right as well).
Train your mind to don’t let anyone take your happiness. If this is what you want to do, do it. If this is now what you want to do, don’t do it because people can see if you’re not doing what you love to do. Don’t force yourself to satisfy this society, go through something you want to fight for.
3. Prioritize Self-Care and Mental Health
Cheslie Kryst spoke openly about the importance of self-care and shared that she met with a counselor to prioritize her own mental health. Even though her passing is a reminder that success in the eyes of the world isn’t enough to heal our deeper wounds, I believe that this legacy from her advocacy will never stop to inspiring us. As week seek to understand the fullness of her journey, some of which we may never know, may we slow down and pause for our own healing. Please communicate more with your family and friends you never know who needs your help. Even when the ones who seem the strongest could be battling with mental illness (including me as a writer).
Cheslie, you’ve made a mark in this world and touched so many lives. You meant everything to so many people and you forever will. You’ll be forever missed.
🕊️RIP Cheslie Corrinne Kryst 🕊️(April 28, 19991— January 30, 2022)