Writing my own narrative

Almost all my life I thought that someone like me could never 'make it' in life. Someone who was domestically abused, bullied physically, emotionally and financially, who grieved the loss of her father the first time when the addiction took over, the second time in a divorce and the third time when he tragically died. Someone who was never taken seriously and who never fit any standards.

I wonder why that is.

Being ashamed of trauma

For the most part, I never wanted to mention my trauma to others. Not because I didn't want *it* to define *me*, even though that's what many trauma survivors feel, but because I didn't want to be pitied. I didn't want to "get the easy way out" simply because I've had a hard life - something I didn't have control of. I didn't want to be a victim, look like a victim or act like one.