Unchained. in Phoenix

I have lived my entire life in mental and emotional chains. Some self-imposed and others not so much. As a child, I began to believe some pretty negative things about myself. I’ve spent my entire life trying to find a place to fit, you know? I’ve never really felt like I belonged anywhere, or that I was wanted, appreciated, respected, or valued wherever I was. I always felt like an outsider, always awkward and tongue-tied and weird. I was always painfully self-conscious, constantly aware of my body, my weight, my facial expression, my hair, everything about myself - and I always felt all of it was just wrong, off in some way. I was never comfortable in my own skin, or in my own mind.

In the past 7 months or so, I’ve managed to throw off a lot of those chains. I started a job last October where I’m valued and respected. I started cutting toxicity from my life and making new friends. I started opening up about myself more, being less self-conscious, and feeling less like an outsider. I began looking at myself without filters, forcing myself to see the really ugly bits, the hurtful bits, and figuring out ways to repair them.

Last updated May 18, 2019