It's picking up the pieces -- including the ones you didn't know about -- in therapy.

It's grasping the present with white knuckles so you don't have to think about the past.

It's playing catch up for the things you missed out on.

It's comparing yourself to see if you even stack up with your peers.

It's genuinely wondering how you're still alive.

It's not having plans for the future you never thought you'd see.

It's treading lightly in case a trigger comes up.

It's crying in the rain when you're caught off guard anyway.

It's a hole in your memory that you can never fill in.

It's making up for what you lost.

It's a lingering darkness within that you don't know how to dispel.

It's taking something bad and turning it into something good.

It's promises and fail-safes so you don't go spiraling again.

It's confusing people with your principles but not caring what they think.

It's knowing your breaking point and respecting it as best you can.

It's telling yourself you've been through worse (because you have) so you can push through adversity.

It's knowing that one day your trauma will be 20 years away instead of 4 years away.

It's finally choosing what does and doesn't define you.

It's winning sometimes instead of always losing to the bad voices in your head.

It's picking yourself up when they beat you down.

It's shouting your truth to anyone who will listen. (Yup, I'm ending it the same way as last week's post.)

If you or a loved one are experiencing a crisis, please call the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.