Behind every strong, independent woman lies a broken little girl who had to learn how to get back up and to never depend on anyone.

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1 in 5 girls is a victim of child sexual abuse

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For most of us no one can see our wounds. Nobody can see the war raging inside of us, the hurt, the fear, the shame, the irreparable damage. We learn to hide our pain, we’ve learned to not trust because the wolves come in sheep’s clothing. We question ourselves, we doubt ourselves because how else could this have happened to us? We keep quiet because we feel powerless. We question our worth because if we were worthy how could someone treat us so? Our most intimate choice was stolen from us leaving us in a broken, insecure and ever fearful heap on the floor.

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I’ve always hated the word victim…I always felt like it made me weak to admit that I had been a victim. I worked so hard to hide it. I was ashamed of having ever been that weak. It has been, and will continue to be, a life long venture learning to forgive myself…I want you to stop and think about that…have you forgiven yourself? Those of you that have been there know what I’m talking about. Until you forgive yourself you’ll never be able to love yourself and trust me you are absolutely worthy of love. And until you love yourself you’ll forever feel in the shadows. You’re not alone…1 in 5….we’re all around you. Dare to confront your past instead of wishing it hadn’t happened, it happened and now it’s time to start letting go of it. It won’t happen overnight and it won’t happen all at once. We hold on to it as a means of trying to protect ourselves from ever letting it happen again. Go ahead and learn from your past, but don’t let it define who you are. I’m not gonna lie, it’s a slow and painful process, but not nearly as painful as going thru life letting your abuser to make you a victim in your own mind and body every day for the rest of your life. Dare to heal your wounds. Dare to cast aside the story you have believed of who you are and write your own story. I know that a lot of you aren’t ready to share your story and that’s ok. It’s a personal journey, not everyone needs to know about it. I’ve listed below some books that I’ve read over the years that helped me at different points in my life. I’m still a work in progress and always will be. For most of us we don’t know exactly what we need to do to heal, all we know is that we can’t stay where we are.

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Photo by Dan Goodman