Lessons I would tell me in my twenties...now.

If I could sit across from the girl I was in my twenties...the girl still breaking, still hoping...I’d hold her trembling hands, look into her tired eyes, and tell her these truths. Not all at once, not like a sermon...but like soft lanterns to guide her home. She wouldn’t believe them yet. But I’d say them anyway.

. Not every person who leaves was meant to stay.

You will beg for love from people who only came to teach you what love isn't. Let them go. Some people are just chapters, not the whole book.

. Your diagnosis doesn’t define you...but it will explain you.

When you hear “Borderline Personality Disorder” and “OCD,” it won’t break you. It will free you. Because for the first time, someone will give language to your chaos...and that’s the beginning of clarity.

. You are not too much. You were just too unseen.

All that emotion, depth, intensity ...it’s not a flaw. You feel deeply because you love deeply. That’s not a curse. It’s a gift that the right people will treasure.

. Survival is holy.

You’ll think you’re weak because you cry, break down, cancel plans, or stay in bed. But babe, survival isn’t shameful. It’s sacred. It means you’re still here. Still fighting. That’s strength.

. God isn’t waiting for the perfect version of you...He’s been walking beside the broken one the whole time.

Even when you yelled at Him. Even when you ran. Even when you doubted. His love never flinched. Not once.

. Trauma will try to splinter your identity...but you will not shatter.

You’ll feel like you’re made of glass. But over time, you’ll learn… You’re not fragile. You’re forged. The fire didn’t destroy you. It built you.

. Loving someone doesn’t mean losing yourself.

You’ll give your heart away more than once. Sometimes to the wrong people. But the right love ...real love won’t require you to shrink, silence, or sacrifice your soul.

. Boundaries are not abandonment.

Walking away from dysfunction isn't cruelty. It's clarity. Sometimes the most loving thing you can do is say “no more.”

. Healing isn’t linear...but it’s real.

There will be setbacks. Ugly days. Flashbacks. Relapses. But they don't erase the progress. Keep going.

. You are never alone.

Even when people disappear. Even when the phone doesn’t ring. Even when you stare at the ceiling, crying into a pillow. You are not forsaken. Heaven is closer than you think.

. There’s power in your pain...but only if you tell the truth.

Your testimony is your weapon. Your story will set others free. But first it will set you free. Don’t water it down. Don’t leave out the hard parts. That’s where the light breaks through.

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And maybe...if she listened long enough...I’d see it: the flicker of hope behind her eyes.

She wouldn’t become me overnight. But she’d get there. One step, one scar, one sunrise at a time.

> "I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace in this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John16:33

Kristen, Unfiltered Xo 💋

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