"It takes sunshine and rain to make a rainbow. "- Roy T. Bennett.

 I saw this quote online and I think this suits my story. When I look back on my life, I can say I’ve been through a lot.  In a nutshell, I grew up in a single-parent family, and in a highly stressful, fearful environment for the large part of my life. And I only had myself to rely on during tough times.  My childhood caused lots of trauma for me and it significantly affected me in many different ways (mental health problems, the outlook of many aspects of my life, personality, etc).  It became something that I have to live with and struggle with every single day.

I can’t say that I have overcome what I've been through but what kept me going through endless dark times was to do the things that make me happy and to have an outlet to express my emotions. For me, it was listening to music, singing and talking to a trusted friend, etc. These coping methods kept me grounded and relaxed.

I realized that life has its ups and downs, the same goes for emotions. When we are experiencing downtimes, we will feel overwhelmed and hopeless. But do remember downtimes do not last forever and  you will see a rainbow after that and you will emerge stronger. 

(Anonymous)