A Letter to my 12 Year-Old Self

I can still feel the pain, embarrassment and helplessness of being my 12 year-old self, as if it was yesterday. 14 years have come and gone, but the emotions attached to the year I started pulling out my hair are still hauntingly vivid.

If I had something like CBSN back in the day, I might have learned some of the lessons listed below much earlier. I could have saved myself from a ton of pain and tears. I wouldn’t have felt so alone or strange. I needed CBSN back then, but I am glad to have it now. If my parents, teachers or my friends had somewhere they could learn about what was happening, would things have been different? CBSN’s ultimate goal is to create awareness about BFRBs, so that people know they are NOT alone. I never had a CBSN, so let’s make sure this generation does.

If I could tell my 12 year-old self about how things will turn out, I would say the following:

The situation you are in right now is temporary
Your parents/siblings mean well, although you might take it differently
This is not your fault
Right now may seem like the end of the world, but trust me, there are better days ahead
Those kids who taunt you day after day will not remember what they did or how they made you feel, but you will always remember what it felt like to be on the receiving line of their actions
You feel ugly now, but you are beautiful
You will find amazing new friends who are just as strange as you (in all the right ways)
You will go to school to help other kids just like you
You will like yourself for who you are – imperfections and all
You will overcome everything you feel like you can’t take at this moment
You are needed
You will meet someone and fall in love
The pain and suffering you deal with on a daily basis will come to an end
The kids & teachers who are making your life a living hell, will soon become a memory
You will look back on this time and consider it just a tiny part of your life story
You will be accepted
You will be a great member of society