An inspirational poem about recovery

It was a long hard fight for me. I self harmed usually only when I had a bad day. Until two people very close to me passed away five days apart.

I self-harmed for 5 years because people told me i was worthless and told me to die. I wouldn't tell my parents or even my friends.

So, 5 months ago I decided to stop self harm cold turkey style. I had been going off and on for months, and couldn't figure out what exactly to do about it.

I have been through hard times in my life and I had urges to self harm but I resisted because I knew I could not do it because I do not want to hurt everyone who I love and everyone who loves me does not deserve to be hurt emotionally because of my self harming urges

I was violently sexually assaulted by a family friend when I was 12, and began self-harming shortly after.

There will come a day where you won't want to hurt yourself anymore.

What people who don't self-harm have trouble understanding is that it is an addiction just like alcohol or drugs is and that even though you stop, the thoughts of wanting to go back don't go away.

Grade eight is when I started, I needed a release. I needed something to show me that I wasn't numb to the world around me and that I truly could feel something, even though that something I would feel meant feeling pain.... I did it, so that I could feel human.

I'm sharing my story tonight as I fight the urge to self injure. I starting cutting when I was 15 years old.