Growing Past Our Pain

Letter from YOUR L!FE: Young Voices from The Write of Your Life™, Anthology (to be released Winter 2014)

It makes me very sad to know that you’re unhappy.  I know growing up the way we did wasn’t easy, especially for you being the oldest.  You had a lot more responsibilities and pressures put on by mom and dad; And that made you stressed.  I wish you could help me understand why you would intentionally hurt yourself the way you do. I can’t imagine why someone would cut themselves as a way to relieve pressure. I look at your forearms and many horizontal scars that are white and faded. I honestly couldn’t imagine feeling so stressed that I have to inflict pain on myself. Having enough strength to cut my skin with a razor blade and then feeling better. We both grew up in the same conditions, so I sometimes can’t understand why you would do such a thing.  I guess we have different ways of dealing with our emotions. I hope someday you will stop cutting yourself, and realize there are other ways to deal with stress and pressure that you feel. I hope you take yourself out of the environment you are in, and find better people to surround yourself with. Cutting is a serious mental health problem, and if you don’t get help you might accidentally do something you can’t take back. I know we don’t have the best relationship but I hope you take this letter into consideration. So someday we can have the relationship that we always wanted.