Lia Klinchik

I feel willing and open to sharing my story. I grew up in a two-parent household, with my brother. From the outside, it may have looked very beautiful and easy. On the inside, most things were disordered and unstable. I watched my family members argue and yell. When I was thirteen, my parents divorced, leaving my brother and I confused and uncertain. I self-harmed from eighth grade to the end of my junior year in high school. I suffered from anxiety, depression, and an eating disorder. The “loss of control” feeling is all too familiar to me and I’m here to tell you that it is going to be okay. Improvements do not happen overnight and healing is ugly. Everything takes time and just because it does, doesn’t mean it will not happen at all. I am a young woman, owning her sh*t and growing into herself. I believe that confusion is the root of hatred. I also believe that every single human you come in contact with just wants to be understood. If every person can be understood, there would be less confusion, thus creating less hate. Understanding could be the bridge to peace and a better, loving environment. And for a very long time, I’ve wanted to create an understanding between different people. I just was unsure how I would reach such a large sum of people. I dreamt of writing about all the people I’d meet and their stories, their struggles. I wanted to get the word out. So here I am.