I’ve been seeing this thing since it’s suicide prevention month where people share their stories, so I kinda wanted to do that. I’m in a healthy space now where I can talk about my past. I will spoiler some very triggering parts.
Where it really hit me was the eighth grade. I was bullied all through elementary school but it didn’t affect me so much. By that I mean I was still this happy bubbly person. And if I’m being honest, I miss her. But jump to seventh grade, I went to a new high school where nobody from my elementary school attended except one girl. We were separated and I grew to isolate myself. Eighth grade rolls around and my mental health is at an all time low, and the bullying starts again. But this time it affects me. I began cutting and developed an eatingn disorder.
I started seeing the school therapist and it helped for a while. I managed to finish grade eight, and then struggled academically in grade nine. Well I had always struggled but this was when it hit me most. The school recommended me for all high level classes so thats what I took, but I ended up downing and nobody noticed or cared. I ended up cutting again at that point.
Fast forward to grade 10, I start smoking with some girls I met at school. It started with us passing around cigarettes at lunch and then I started finding other ways to get a hold of them. I because addicted to the nicotine. I would come into class smelling like a chimney. But it became my new coping mechanism. Although I wasn’t physically hurting myself, I still was hurting myself. Glad I quit by eleventh grade. Rest of high school was fine.
Now in my first year of college, I begin drinking… excessively. Some mornings I’d wake up and not even know who’s dorm room I was in. My friends had to start monitoring me when I drank. My liver paid the price for what my mind was trying to tell me. I needed to seek help. I was for a while and things started to look up. But I completely gave up after I was sexually assaulted. That changed me forever. The suicidal thoughts got worse too.
Second year of college, I was still struggling to come to terms with what happened and move past it. I stopped recieving help and begun to isolate myself a lot. Online school definitely helped with me not having to socialize. I became distant and cold. People started noticing changes in my behaviour. I had a few short lived relationships but nothing ever ended well. And I admit in some cases, I was partially at fault. I shouldn’t have been in relationships at that point in my life, I was not stable at all.
I graduated from that program and started another. Online again, but made some friends anyways. They were helpful and listened to me. Thry have all since dropped the program but they’re great. Did still continue to academically struggle but got more assistance which was good. But then second semester hit, and I went to rock bottom.Self harming became a part of my daily life again. I had a gender crisis. All throughout first two years of early adulthood I went by he/him pronouns but that wasnt me. Now I used they/she but took a while to get there. Part of my want to be male was the fear that if I lived as a woman I would be violated again.
But then I met the most amazing girl in the world. We have been together for a wonderful ten months already and we got to see each other this summer. She respects me and understands my boundaries. I do still sometimes slip but I’m okay now. I start group therapy again on Thursday. I’m in a stable relationship. I’m genuinely happy with my life at the moment, but the next step is to learn how to cope and create a safety plan for when I do catch myself slipping again.
So please if anyone got this far, please know that you are loved and that recovery is possible. Am I perfect? Hell no. I’m still quite vulnerable and I have hurt people because of all those wall I build up over the years. I’m not proud of that but it has helped me to realize that I can’t just focus on my own needs and wants. I’ve probably burned a lot of bridges unintentionally, but I did. I believe everyone can make mistakes but it takes a strong person to learn from them.