Childhood abuses and bullies

@Adith01

Hey there ❤️ I'm sorry you went through such intense and awful bullying when you were so young, I can completely understand why you're still afraid of being hurt the same way again. Your feelings are valid and it's okay to be afraid, but I can also see that this is something you've really been trying to move on and recover from.

There's a story that a mentor of mine once shared with me to encourage me when I was managing some (mostly irrational) fears. Do you know how elephants are kept by those who raise them? Every elephant, even the largest ones, could be tied to a tree with a single length of rope. The adult elephants would easily uproot the whole tree if they wanted to, but they didn't, because they had been tied to a tree with a rope since they were young. Young elephants can't free themselves from that length of rope, so after some time, they simply accept their situation and never try to free themselves again.

Whenever I'm frightened by something that hurt me when I was younger, I think back to this story and remember that I am stronger, more mature, and more experienced now. I am no longer a small, timid, little girl who doesn't know how to protect herself or fend off her bullies, but nearly a full grown adult who is learning to protect herself and be more assertive about her physical and emotional wellbeing.

The fear is real, but the danger might not be anymore. Now that you're in college, you've come a long long way from when you were 9. You can slowly learn to trust yourself and learn to protect yourself. You can learn to be more observant and discerning about the kind of people your seniors are, and learn how to interact with them. This is a process that takes lots of time, effort, and courage, but I truly believe that you're capable of doing this. You deserve to be able to live freely and unafraid, and you have the power to pave the way for yourself. You got this, my friend! ❤️ Be kind to yourself, and I hope you'll have a good day ❤️