Thank you for sharing your journey. I was raised in an abusive, codependent, likely narcissistic household and was divorced in my early to mid twenties, and unlike you, I struggled not only with being super critical and abusive towards myself but also others. It took many, many miracles of God's love, attending Codependents Anonymous on and off for twelve years, deliverance ministry, therapy, and inner healing ministry and books to help me learn to love and be compassionate and kind with myself, and therefore to be the same way with others. I learned that buried feelings never die, so it took me many years to sort through and feel and release my many unfelt feelings, and find the truth from God about His true love, care, and kindness towards me. He still fathers and the Holy Spirit still mothers me to this day.

So when I critique this graphic (not your life) and its implication that it's good to be hard on oneself, I'm going to push back on it because it's not true. I'm really proud of you for not taking out feelings of angry on your family or people. Sincerely, well done. But you also deserve, because you're a precious son of a kind, good, empathic God, to interact with yourself and your heart with gentleness and truth and empathy, so you can find the healing your heart may still need.

Thank you for sharing your story and what you've done to find healing for yourself.