[Celyn]

My journey with trauma has been...different. I've been through things that could be called trauma and, originally, I felt like I really wanted to help those who have been through similar things and be the person that I wished I had in my life when I was younger and going through some very difficult times.

I still do, but in a different way.

I don't like saying that other people's trauma has affected me because I feel that takes the spotlight from them and puts it onto me. But at the same time, I can't deny that it has. It's changed me greatly, in ways that I never even knew were possible. I guess...in a way...it's like second hand trauma. It's this second hand trauma that has had the biggest impact on me, as opposed to my own stuff. I've learnt so much from this and it's changed how I want to help others too. Instead of wanting to be the person that I wish I had when I was younger and helping those who have gone through similar things, I've ended up refining it a bit. I've realised there's more to my trauma and the second hand trauma than I originally thought, so now I'd like to spend time creating the resources (e.g. writing articles) that I wish I had access to when I was younger. And hopefully, any young person stumbling around the internet will get something out of what I've written and I hope that it helps them to be more informed in the way that I never was, and hopefully won't feel so alone either.

Pretty much what you said really