"I carried that hurt...wouldn’t pause to put it down. Never took time to unpack or do the work."

To decide to be yourself at 21 is incredible!!!

Give yourself a hug, Natasha, you were doing the best you could to cope. I didn't even know there was work to be done—let alone pause. Until awareness enters our lives and we see there is an opportunity to make sense of all this hurt and change.

Healing takes time. 100% slow down. You cannot unpack all the hurt quickly and expect it to be okay. , Unpacking without the right support is retraumatizing.

Another wonderful article on self-discovery and healing.