From Surviving to Thriving

Hello there, thank you for taking a minute to read my page.

I’m in a rough spot right now and I’m reaching out hoping you can help me.

Maybe you know who I am and maybe you don’t. perhaps you know who I am and have always seen me as a quiet, sad girl, who largely kept to herself, as that’s how I appeared for many years. That was me. A confused and hurt young girl trying my best to survive a cold, uncaring world after a traumatic and abusive childhood. I grew up and adapted into a wounded, hurting, withdrawn young adult. I felt like there was no one in the world who actually cared enough to help me work through my searing pain so i can learn to feel ok in my body and in the world. Eventually things started to feel really hopeless and I came to a point where I realized I didn’t want to live anymore in this cold, unsafe world. Thankfully, at that point somebody did show up in my life and helped me get to a residential treatment facility where I stayed for four months. It was there that I experienced for the first time what it felt like to feel safe. To not spend day after hellish day feeling trapped and choking and panicked, or on the flip side, completely numbed out and nothing at all except the feeling of wanting all of this to be over so I will never have to feel those horrid feelings again. After tasting that sense of safety for the first time, I began the painful, tedious process of processing my traumatic childhood and adolescence, and I continue on that long, harrowing journey until today. Some days are easier than others and some days are still so, so hard I sometimes do not know if I’ll be able to push through. One thing I do know is I have been able to make it this far and I hope and pray I’ll be able to keep on going no matter what.

I keep trying to remind myself that giving up is not an option- I have no other choice than to keep putting one foot in front of the other, but sometimes, to keep on going seems impossible too. Then what do I do? I don’t know. I just keep hoping and praying that every single hardship and challenge is one step closer in my healing process and one day I will thrive and be able to turn back and help those a bit behind me who are still struggling so much and feel so frightened and alone.

I am currently living in a community away from the one I grew up in. I chose to live here because of the wonderful resources and supportive network available here that I did not have at home. I continue investing everything I can into moving forward towards full independence and my mental and emotional wellbeing. I am struggling financially between my rent, therapy, and basic living expenses. I am asking if you are able to contribute anything at all so I can continue along my path of renewal, healing and growth.

Thank you for reading and may you always be on the giving end