How to survive child abuse

Disclaimer: I am not a trained professional to give advice regarding child abuse or abuse of any kind. This is based on my personal experiences and understanding.

Hey, kid — if you or anyone you know is going through any kind of abuse (i.e., if ANYONE is causing you any kind of harm — physical, psychological, or sexual), here’s what you are going to do:

1. Tell EXACTLY what is happening/has happened to you to any adult whom you trust. It could be a parent, a teacher, a relative — anyone who makes you feel safe. Speak without fear, doubt, shame, or guilt. Please believe that it is not your fault, and there is NOTHING that you could have done to prevent it — and, no, you couldn’t have handled it well. You did the best you could, stop giving yourself a hard time about it and just ASK FOR HELP without shame. GO!
2. I hope you get the help you deserve at the right time. If you do not find any adult who is helping you with your situation, OR, if the adult you chose to share this with tells you to forget about it, to just move on, shames you, or invalidates your experience in any way — DO NOT listen to them. Call 1098 (if you are in India) and tell the authorities exactly what is happening to you — don’t be scared.
3. If you are now an adult and at a point in life where you have tried every possible way to deal with this situation and still couldn’t get the right help — summon up the courage to confront the person (in a safe place) who had abused you when you were a child. You don’t have to yell, shout, hurl abuses, or anything of that sort (it’s okay if you do) — you just have to face the person, look them in the eye, and tell them that they wronged you and they owe you reparations. Even if they do not apologize or act out, you still will feel less scared. If even this is not possible and you need a closure, so that you can at least TRY moving on from it and not obsessing over it, do a sort-of “ceremony” . Set a date. Write a letter to your abuser and pour your heart out. Make sure to also include everything that you did to get past this, and that there is nothing more that you could have done. Cry as much as you have to, keeping in mind that this is the last time that you are going to cry about this. Burn this letter, or flush it — do whatever makes you feel better. This is just one idea, if you think that there is something else that you can do in this little “ceremony” — do that instead. You do you, boo! (This will help you but this probably won’t be the last time that you think about it or cry about it, however, it will force you to shift your focus towards other things in your life, and you will realize what all you have been missing out whilst thinking of this incident, which is not your fault).
4. Find a good therapist. Therapy isn’t just for the ones who have gone through child abuse, it is for anyone who wants to improve their relationship with themselves, and to elevate their lives. It is very important to find a good therapist, someone who is qualified and trustworthy. If you feel like you can’t trust your therapist, bail! No matter how qualified they are, if you don’t gel well, it isn’t going to work.
5. Pick a skill that you want to master, and then do just that — master it! Be patient and kind with yourself in the process. A friend of mine said something that stuck with me — “Do something that consumes you, completely. This way, you won’t be thinking about anything else at least while doing that activity.” It could be anything — music, a sport, ANYTHING UNDER THE SUN THAT IS LEGAL xD.
6. Surround yourself with people who are emotionally intelligent and have your best interest at heart. Run away from ignorant assholes. Thank me later.
7. MAINTAIN A JOURNAL, religiously.
8. Be proud of yourself for being so strong. Look in the mirror and say “I love you, all parts of you. Thank you for existing❤”. Some (many) days you’re gonna feel like you aren’t worth shit — it’s a lie. You are worth EVERYTHING.
9. Don’t give up just yet. It is going to get better, I promise❤.
10. Help others. Trust me, that will help you more.

I hope you create so many beautiful memories that it overpowers all your nightmares. More power to you!