Be The Person You Needed When You Were Younger
By Sami
You know what it’s like. You turn 16, and boys start showing interest in you - you ignore every red flag. This happened to me. I had never been the type of girl that got flirted with, so when that one person showed me interest, I fell, and I fell hard. I thought he was going to give me the love a girl should have, but instead, I got the “love” he told me I deserved. My mind was no longer mine. My body was no longer mine. Everything I did had to be approved and every word I said was one step closer to a fight. I felt like I had nothing, and I was always walking on eggshells. I pushed family and friends away, and stopped being who I used to be. I was alone, and a part of me knew he was doing wrong by me, but I also knew if I ever told someone, they would just tell me to break up with him. For some reason, that was not an option. So I kept to myself. It was about five years later when I decided to speak up and change my life. And what a perfect time to do so.
I was sitting at my computer desk, searching through college majors that would make me excited to go to work every day. All the careers seemed like they would be fun or let me live a comfortable life based on the pay, but nothing seemed like it was for me. It was all overwhelming, so I decided to take a break. While I was scrolling through my social media feed, I came across a quote that changed my life. “Be the person you needed when you were younger.” I thought back and realized, I needed someone to teach me what an abusive relationship was and how to see the signs early on. I needed someone to talk to that I could trust and would be able to let me talk without judgement. And who teaches teenagers about healthy relationships? A health teacher. It’s perfect for me!
So, if you’re in a relationship and don’t feel safe, just know that it does get better. It may not seem like it now, but there is a purpose for your pain. If I had not gone through that dark time, I would have never found a career that let’s me help other people in the same situation. And if you are not in that place, but are trying to figure out what your purpose in this world is, think about a time when you were younger and needed someone, but could not find them. This will bring you one step closer to who you were meant to be.
