Though I am already 30, I cannot let go of the bullied girl I am trying to leave in my teenage years. As much as I try, those memories just won’t go away. I can’t seem to shake this girl off me, and recently I realized, I don’t want to anymore. I want to send a message to all of the girls out there that suffered it in the past or are going through this right now.

To the girl that craved the acceptance and approval of others; to the girl that felt lonely; to the girl who had no idea where she’ll sit in the cafeteria and with who; to the girl that was laughed at; to the girl that tried to hide how smart she is; to the girl who felt she never fit in; to every girl who was ever bullied – it gets better.

I know it sounds like a clique and sometimes impossible, but it really does get better. While the emotional trauma and horrible memories stay with you forever, your perspective of them is what makes the difference. It won’t happen overnight. It takes time, but a certain point of your life you might find seeing those memories in a different light. All of the people that used to hurt you had no idea that in those moments they thought they were tearing you apart, they were actually making you stronger.

All those terrible and cruel things were actually building you up, making you stronger and wiser. Now, you, as the great self that they build you to be, can look at yourself and see that you were great all along. Every feature that they fixated on is what makes you who the beautiful person that you are.

It’s important to remember that you are in charge of your life, and the people who bullied you can’t hurt you anymore. You’ll see how all of the people who used to torment you will try to follow you on every possible platform when they’ll see how well you and your life turned out.

So, all of you who have been bullied growing up, stay awesome. Stand up by those who have been through this too, and lift up their souls. Show them that it does get better, that high school doesn’t last forever. For all of you, I want to say that you can add me to the list of people who love you and rooting for you, always.