Let me tell ya'll a little story: I had a troubled upbringing, since 2016, I've been beaten by a man who calls himself my father, and that same man got himself in legal trouble quite a lot.

He eventually got caught up with the law, and he left me and my mother to fend for ourselves, he stole our money, and we couldn't afford rent, so we lost our home,

We had to spend around a month in a homeless shelter, trying to find somewhere else to go, we find a place that has roaches and mice, but it was our only option.

We were so poor, and also paying 70% of our money to rent, we literally only had like $700 a month, and $500 of it was going to rent.

Crime rates were high, people did drugs, people died there, it was just really dangerous.

We've lived there for two years, and they were the most miserable time of our lives, the conditions worsened, we froze in the winter, we burned in the summer, and to top it off, all of our family were distant.

At that time, it felt like there was no way out. We were stuck, just trying to survive each day.

Two years later, we were trying to apply to new apartments, and we got into a new one, we visit the place that would be our new home, and it was so much better.

It has central air and heat, it was clean, well maintained, they would actually help you, and it was affordable.

It is where I currently live, and 6 years later (going on 7 in funerary) we're in a much better place now, and we are far happier then we were in that old place.

I know my situation may be different from yours, but know that in that time, I was feeling down and like I didn't want to live anymore, or like I wanted to hurt myself. I've felt worthless, dread, I've had nightmares, and I've suffered a lot and had left with mental scars.

To this day, I still look back at that time as being a very negative time in my life, but now I am living a much happier life overall.

Things didn't change overnight, and it wasn't easy. But even the hardest times can eventually give way to brighter days. If you're struggling, remember: it’s okay to feel lost, but you’re not alone, and things can improve—even if you can’t see it yet. Take things one day at a time, and please be kind to yourself.