Overcoming sadness
20 year old male
Growing up, my parents had a very rough divorce. I was often emotionally and financially abused by my mum, occasionally sexually abused by my stepdad and made to feel guilty about their divorce. I felt insignificant, unloved and as if I was treated like a pawn in their petty games against each other. They have both remarried and I still often feel I am just an obligation from the first marriage.
Despite this, I have managed to overcome a lot of the sadness. I now regularly go to the gym, study hard and have an incredible relationship with my girlfriend.
In particular, I had an incredible amount of fear in being intimate with my girlfriend to begin with. But thanks to one Kids Helpline counsellor in particular, I have overcome those fears and know that my childhood experiences, as stressful as they were (and still sometimes are), shouldn't hold me back from having a great life in the future!
