Many of the stories shared have been deeply moving to me, especially because I can relate to some of the things that happened
For those who have been able to move on from their darkest times, your stories of transformation are beautiful. Thanks so much for sharing them!
My life, comparative to some, is really not all that bad, and for years now I've realized that;
Like many members who posted above, I was bullied by my peers in elementary school (gr. 3-8). It stopped by the time I got to high school, but I still carry some self-confidence problems from that time in my life. I guess it was the worst between the ages of 6 and 8. Teachers would often undermine me purposefully, for what seemed to be their own personal entertainment, but also, it seemed, to get back at me for acting differently than my fellow students. Kids would do and say many things to me that I still have kept to myself out of embarassment; even from my mom, to whom I told pretty much everything. I hated myself so much, and was often so confused, that I began to have emotional outbursts that were uncharacteristic of my age, and they only added to the ridicule. Thank goodness that phase ended once I began to adjust to public school life.
I went through a 'numb' phase all through high school as a result; and was just carrying myself through life, not really going out of my way to achieve anything, but silently trying to escape from my past. I had some OK friends, not any true friends, but people who tolerated me. I'd say it was a better time, I kind of bounced back by the end of high school.
After high school ended, I found myself very confused. I didn't know much about post secondary education, and felt like I was the only one who didn't have a plan. I hadn't even had a real job yet like most of my peers; not that I wasn't a hard worker, (I did a lot of volunteer work for free, and temporary jobs that I was offered here and there), but because I was afraid of being rejected or not meeting people's expectations. I slowly was becoming more depressed as my friends were moving on and I was just stuck at home in a small town. I eventually got a job at a sign shop, but my boss was very impatient with me at first, which made me feel worthless, but I eventually earned his respect. The sign shop is actually part of his apartment, so his personal life kind of leached into his work life. He eventually began to feel he could trust me, and began to ask me for advice about what to do about a teacher who was antagonizing his son for no apparent reason. It was incredibly strange, because he was very business-minded and professional, so he really hesitated to open up like he did. I ended up being a real help, and that provided a very profund healing process for myself.
Nowadays, I'm still trying to get my life back together, recover from some residual pain and anxiety from the past, and it's been slow going, but I'm closer to God than I've ever been, which has made all the difference to me. I'm also rebuilding my hope for the future, which has taken a long time to do.