No matter what I did, my aunt kept harassing and emotionally abusing me to the point where I felt I had no worth or purpose for living. Growing up, my parents did not have the funds to support my education, so I had to move to my aunt and uncle. For reasons unknown to me, my aunt did not approve and started actively discriminating me and I was treated very differently than my cousins. The emotional abuse ranged from excessive chores to not paying my school fees. I tried to express it to my parents and uncle but in vain, and I felt my loneliness and despair grow by the day to the point where I made my mask my reality. Survival was my only mission to get away. See how I found a way to keep going and how I realized that I had to open up my hardened shell. Learning about mental health and finding words to express my experiences allowed me to lighten the burden and talk about my past. Learn how this allowed me to rebuild my shattered self-worth and, piece by piece, reconnect with my suppressed emotions. Expressing my frustrations and anger towards my aunt's ill-treatment of me allowed me to free myself from the grip of her abuse. I decided to use my background to help others through social work and peer support for others facing adversity.