Growing up, my emotions were often invalidated with a "Stop crying" or other similarly dismissive words. Simple conversations could turn into heated screaming matches. Seeking comfort from others resulted in greater unhappiness and became an absolute last resort.

I learnt to be emotionally self-reliant and to hide any vulnerability so that it couldn't be used against me. If I ever had a problem e.g. trouble at school, work or in my personal life, I would keep it to myself, so that someone couldn't make me feel worse.

It took me years to let myself feel more comfortable with letting myself be more emotionally vulnerable, especially amongst people I felt safe around, and even now I am still trying to learn to accept help from others.

When I was younger, I always wanted a safe space or someone who would genuinely hear me out. It didn’t matter if said someone couldn’t provide a solution to my problems, all I needed was someone to have my back.

I hope I can offer the same to others, hence I chose to volunteer as a Hear Bud because I want to reach out to people who are struggling and help them feel less alone in their struggles.

As a favourite character of mine from one of my all time favourite stories said, "What matters is 'you' and not the state of you." - TGCF.

There are times when life throws unexpected challenges, wearing one down.
You are not broken or damaged nor did you deserve it, please know that your feelings are valid and that you are not alone.