You are unique. So is your story, your experiences and, yes, your pain.
Lately there has been this avalanche of trauma stories. Trauma porn... that's what it sometimes feels like. An animalistic need to escape in other people's trauma and horrifically disturbing experiences.
I like to hear about others victory and how they came to overcome and that's great. The courage and strength to overcome is indescribably beautiful and inspiring. I love that.
When it becomes a measuring up of who had a worse time and how much more pain one trauma causes over another I have to take a step back and breathe.
How does this become a competition?
It isn't and shouldn't be. What you personally went through is enough. Don't hold your pain up and go "but so and so went through such and such! I am pathetic!" What you went through was bad enough.. for YOU! Don't minimise your pain.
On the other side of this are comments like "but you don't understand... this and this happened to me so you could not possibly understand!"
Pain feels like pain.
Fear feels like fear.
Anxiety, depression, flashbacks, nightmares cause much the same reaction in all of us.
They are equally as debilitating.
Just because someone went through more or less than you does not negate their pain... or yours.
So many keep silent because they feel like their pain is nothing in comparison to...
No. Don't do that!
It's your journey.
It's your life.
Love and respect yourself enough to consider yourself as important as anyone else.
None of us are getting out of this alive - live your best life for YOU!