“I now see how owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we will ever do.”~ Brené Brown

I didn’t look back on my late teens/early 20s kindly or fondly.

I had gone through a lot of trauma is the first parts of my life which led me to developing anxiety and depression during this time. I was very unwell, and in a state of deep sadness almost all of the time. No, it didnt show on the outside(the people pleaser in me came to the rescue then, in damaging ways ofcourse!).

All my relationships at that time in my life felt toxic, unstable, full of anxiety and insecurity. I was riddled with self-doubt.

My body was yelling out. I had a heap of physical symptoms of anxiety, I had stomach cramps, that no doctor could find the cause or cure of.

Looking back now, I have compassion for this younger self (this needed work, as originally I looked back with anger, guilt and shame).

I understand where my symptoms, struggles and behaviours came from and I can hold loving space for them and my younger self.

I overcame my depression, learned to listen to my body, dissociated less, and came to a place where I am now genuinely happy in my own skin.

I now wear my imperfections and scars as a badge of honor. Its what makes me, me 🙂

There’s SO much I wish I knew then. SO much! But I probably wasn’t in a place(or mentally ready) to hear it at the time.

As I integrate and embrace my inner child, I can now speak to her with loving kindness.

Healing Things I would Tell my Younger Self
(If time travelling was possible)

Now that I’m in a better healed(ing) space, these are the things I would tell my younger self:

❤ Your anxiety and depression is not a life sentence. You can and will find ways to heal, manage, overcome and recover from it all.

❤ Seeking validation in relationships with people who don’t value or prioritize you is damaging and harmful for you. Relying on these relationships for your sense of self worth leaves you feeling like you are not enough. Prioritize yourself always. You are worthy of it.

❤ You can only avoid and mask your emotions for so long. Numbing your feelings with busyness, bad food and toxic people is harming your mental and emotional health.

❤ Learning to say NO is a short term discomfort for your long term self worth. People pleasing chips away at your soul. You are allowed to have boundaries, say no and do what is in alignment with YOU.

❤ Your body will remember everything. It remembers the food you feed it, the words you say about it, the trauma it goes through. Heal your body with movement, kindness, patience and self love.

❤ You don’t need to compare yourself to everyone else. You are allowed to be quirky, different and sensitive. You are allowed to be introverted. You are always allowed to be YOU. Being YOU is a special gift you can give yourself.

💗Here’s a healing exercise for you:💗
✏️ write your younger self a letter full of kindness, compassion and forgiveness. Write to them with the words they needed to hear at the time.

You’ll be surprised how this simple exercise of writing to your younger self, will make you love and accept yourself more in this present moment.

“My mission, should I choose to accept it, is to find peace with exactly who and what I am. To take pride in my thoughts, my appearance, my talents, my flaws and to stop this incessant worrying that I can’t be loved as I am.”~ Anaïs Nin

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