I think that, as survivors of sex trafficking who are now professionals, we forget to let ourselves be human. We get so busy supporting the healing of others that we forget to support our own healing. We may even start to believe that, because of the work we do, our healing must be finished and we must be strong and whole all of the time. We forget that it is our pain that led us into the work we do… and shaped/equipped us to do it. We must learn to treat ourselves with the same compassion we do our sisters.

Often, our strength has been born in adversity, pain, self-doubt and discipline. Becoming strong is not gentle; it hurts, it takes work.

Never forget that it is pushing through it all that has gotten you to where you are: disciplining yourself to keep moving FORWARD, loving yourself even when it’s hard (letting go of people you love, adopting healthy habits/routines, speaking to yourself with love and compassion…), soothing yourself through emotional days, speaking your truth even when it is not what others want to hear, honoring your vision for your future (not settling even if it means going without or living with less for an indefinite period of time) and looking back only to identify what you could do differently next time. And getting back up – with a heart of forgiveness and compassion towards yourself – any and every time you fall (or fail), trusting that you WILL see your vision for your life and your relationships become a reality … in time.

Hang in there. This too shall pass. We are ALWAYS exactly where we are supposed to be in our journey.