Being a survivor of abuse means feeling all kinds of painful feelings. It gets overwhelming at times, and many survivors forget how much they've accomplished and how far they've come. It's easy to get discouraged and feel like nothing is ever going to get better or that you have not accomplished anything. But the truth is you have accomplished a lot. Here are some of the accomplishments that you can be proud of:

• Focusing on your healing when it felt like there'd be no end or point to feeling so much pain;
  
  
• Hanging in there and keeping yourself alive when living felt unbearable;
  
  
• Holding on to hope when you felt lost and hopeless;
  
  
• Reaching out for support when there was no support for you as a child;
  
  
• Calling someone for help when you were scared;
  
  
• Speaking your truth when only a few people or no one would listen;
  
  
• Protecting yourself from abusers and getting yourself safe;
  
  
• Never giving up on yourself, even when others did;
  
  
• Reaching out a hand to a friend in need when you were in a lot of pain yourself;
  
  
• Accepting an extended hand when you felt like no one could ever care about you;
  
  
• Daring to trust when no one in your life was trustworthy;
  
  
• Loving your friends and partner when your childhood taught you betrayal and hatred;
  
  
• Being yourself when you were trained to deny yourself;
  
  
• Believing in a better world when you know full well the suffering human beings are capable of inflicting on others.