There’s a likelihood you may experience abuse in form of violence in your lifetime (especially as a Nigerian). Do you think this is farfetched? Think about your childhood for a moment; remember the excessive and forceful whipping? That can also be termed abuse.
Abuse always leaves a trail of psychological traumas laden upon its victims but invisible to the naked eye. Nonetheless, it manages to leave one a wreck while botching up their view on life and the sad part of this tragedy is, abuse usually comes from those closest to you; your loved ones even.
Victims of abuse oftentimes find themselves angry and bitter with the world. Statistics show that they are likely to experience mental health disorders, addictions, and have a life expectancy two decades shorter than those who didn’t experience such. Thus we find that children who have grown up in violent homes go on to be abusers themselves or worse still, travel down the abyss of depression bordering suicide.
The important question is, how do you begin to heal from past hurts? How do you leave it in the past? How can you overcome feelings of worthlessness, low self-esteem and self-doubt?
In honesty, it is not easy to deal with, so don’t beat yourself up if you find it hard to move past it. However, wallowing in the rut and emotional turmoil would do you more harm than good. You have to face it head on, admit that it happened and make a conscious decision to put it behind you. And this step begins when you share your story with someone who possesses a capable and trained mind.
“You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.” – Desiderata.
St. Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 1:7 that “God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
So pull yourself together! You are a resilient being and God has created you for a purpose. The past cannot be undone but you can learn from it.
Rise and shine!