Daily writing prompt

What advice would you give to your teenage self?

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My teenage self was unstable and insecure. Problems at home caused chaos and destructive behavior, sometimes landing me in psychiatric facilities. If I could go back to that younger self, knowing what I know now, I would do things much differently. Here is a letter to my teenage self with things she desperately needed to hear:

Dear my inner teenager,

You have been through so much. The home was not a safe place, and neither was school. You faced so much isolation, rejection, and abuse that you learned to close yourself off from the world, and you retreated to an inner safe place. Even there, you only had yourself to comfort you. I understand why you acted out by self-harming and had thoughts about suicide. You felt the pain from the blade, or your death, was the only escape.

What I want to tell you is that you have the right to voice your feelings and needs. You have the right to your own opinions, whether or not others want to hear them or pay attention to your needs; you need not keep silent. You have a voice that deserves to be heard. Don’t isolate yourself from the world, but fight for your rights, no matter how hard that is and no matter what others might think.

Pull out of yourself and fight for your life. Nobody can free you from your self-made prison besides you. You deserve to be loved, you deserve to be paid attention to, and you deserve to be treated with respect. You let the bullies at home and at school define you. Don’t let anyone define you. You are a human being with feelings, hopes, dreams, opinions, and beliefs. Don’t let the world take that away from you, no matter the cost.

Even if you experience more pain and more rejection, you will be fighting for your life. You can look back on your life and say, “I never let them win.” You gain self-respect, self-love, and care when you refuse to let them win. People might fight against you or tell you that you don’t have any rights, but don’t let their opinions become your truth, which would be lies. Stand up for your truth and stand up for who you are and are becoming.

I look back at my teenage self and know that is what I needed to hear the most. I know that I should have fought back and fought for my rights and my life. I wish I had listened to those words and believed them, no matter the cost because I would be standing up and fighting for my self-worth. I believe it is never too late to tell myself that I have the right to my own feelings, beliefs, and opinions. I can honestly say that 25 years or so later, I am finally fighting for my life. The life that I wished I had fought for then.