All the things I kept hidden underneath

These are all the things I never felt brave enough to speak of. Some of these things are frowned upon and can be classed as "shameful". Most of these topics are ones that no one feels safe or comfortable enough to speak of out loud in fear of judgement and/or fear that no one will believe them. All around the world we are told to speak up for ourselves, be ourselves, and never be afraid to ask for help. But how can we be told that when the second we do any of those things we are judged, blamed, called liars, etc. All throughout my life, if I ever got the courage to speak on these topics, it only resulted in more damage being caused so I kept my mouth shut...until now. I will no longer be silenced by the hands of society. I will no longer be ashamed to speak of my trauma when my trauma was not my doing. I will no longer allow the stigma around addiction, sexual assault, rape, childhood trauma, and other sensitive subjects leave me suffering and keep me from telling my story in attempts to heal. This is my story, no one else's and it has come time to tell the parts of my story that most may fear. It is time to reveal all the things I kept hidden underneath.