A Letter for my Younger Self

Since I was young, whenever I felt distressed I made it a habit of ignoring those feelings, too embarrassed to ask for help. Because even as a child my mental health was not taken seriously. So I suffered quietly with no guidance or adult to confide in. That little girl grew up to become a young woman with relentless mental health issues that I could no longer push away. I had to look back from the beginning to understand what happened, and I saw my younger self staring back at me. Here I look back with remorse and ache for that little girl because no child should suffer that alone, especially at such a vulnerable age where children are just beginning to discover themselves. Here I look up to that little girl and apologize as well as acknowledge all that she went through, ready to heal that part of myself because those scars matter just as much.