I #LivetoTell my story, even though I was raised in a culture, society and family that accepted yelling, fighting and hitting children as normal, even though I ran the narrative in my mind that “no one is here for me” or “I have no support.”

I’m grateful to have begun the practice of challenging distorted thinking, practicing gratitude, journaling, and mindfulness, which all have gotten me out of those few simple dark words in my mind that nearly took me off this planet by choice. I wouldn’t have known it then, but there is a way out. There are brighter days. There is truth that I wouldn’t have thought possible. There are things I believed, such as those dark words that couldn’t be further from the truth. And everyday I will remind myself of my blessings. Because the struggle can be real, if you let it.

I’ve also experienced the loss of my mother in a tragic car accident. I was the driver. There was no reason for it to happen. My belief grounded in something much greater than myself, my friends and family support, are what kept me from repeating the event in my mind and blaming myself in this case. I’ve gone through the stages of grief; allowing myself to grieve a loss has resulted in very positive outcomes for me.

The last major loss was being abandoned by my child’s father. This resulted in a lot of recurring negative narratives in my mind like, “I’m not good enough, I’m not worthy, I don’t deserve to be loved.” As I worked through and continue to work through them, I again am overwhelmed with love and blessings.

We all have thoughts, but we are not our thoughts. Our identity lies in a much bigger truth than our fleeting thoughts. I am grateful to be here and have exactly the life that I have; I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.