S.elf H.ealing E.nergy | personal growth blog for women

What’s a chapter of your life you’d title “The Hard Years” — and what got you through it?

The hardest years of my life were 2014–2016.

During those years, I lost my brother while trying to navigate a relationship that was already falling apart. Looking back, I honestly don’t know how I made it through. I was grieving one of the biggest losses of my life while still trying to show up every day as a mother.

There were moments when I wanted to give up. I questioned everything. But I’m forever grateful for my grandmother and my close friends, who helped carry me through those dark days when I couldn’t carry myself.

What made it even harder was being in a relationship where I didn’t feel like I had the space to grieve. I held on to so much resentment that I became someone I didn’t even recognize. I made choices I never thought I would make. I lost myself. My mental health suffered, and I felt like I was just surviving while trying to be strong for my daughter. There were days I truly believed I was failing as a parent.

But through it all, God never left my side.

Little by little, I found my strength again. I chose myself. I walked away from a toxic relationship, got a place of my own, and never looked back.

Today, I can honestly say I survived that storm. What felt like a hurricane tried to break me, but it didn’t. It shaped me into a stronger, wiser, and more resilient woman.

God never put more on me than I could bear, and because of His grace, I made it through.

To anyone reading this: Your hardest chapter doesn’t have to be your final chapter. Keep going. Your storm won’t last forever.