Growing up in a Dysfunctional Home - Coping and Bettering Myself

Hello! This post is the final part in my series, and it’s all about how I’ve better myself since realizing that what I have grown up in wasn’t the healthiest environment.

I took a long look into myself once I realized that my experiences growing up weren’t normal. I realized that a lot of my personality traits and ideals were a result coping with the emotional and physical trauma my parents put me through. I thought that I was super independent, but that was really just me coping with the fact that I felt like I didn’t have a real family, and that if I wasn’t independent I would be trapped with my family. I thought that crying was something only children did, but in reality I just learned that crying caused my arguments to be taken less seriously, so I learned to hold my emotions in. I didn’t like the fact that I have bottled up so much due to the environment that I grew up in, and I wanted to change the way I was in order to better myself.

The biggest steps I have been taking to better myself is opening up more to my friends. Opening up heals me in a way. It’s really nice being able to get things off my chest. I also started going to therapy. It’s nice just being able to get every little thing off my chest. Going to therapy has also helped me realize that crying, and showing emotions are okay. Outside of therapy I’ve been working on expressing my emotions when I feel them instead of bottling everything up inside. All of this has helped me a lot, and for the few months that I have been actively working on myself, I can already see a difference. I feel lighter in a way, as if a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

Having an amazing support system throughout this process has been a huge help as well. My friends are super caring and understanding, and they have really been a huge help in my healing process. I still have some ways to go, but I’m really proud of the progress that I’ve made and I’m excited to keep finding ways to better myself and grow as a person.