It’s heartbreakingly difficult to fathom that a child as young as nine could suffer from severely dark thoughts but as she endured a tumultuous childhood, that was the reality for Youthline worker Myfanwy Barling or, as she likes to be called, Miffy.
And while today the 26-year-old Aucklander recognises how the turbulent years of her youth strengthened her ability to help other young Kiwis facing tough times, as a child, Miffy’s situation impacted her confidence and self-esteem.
“I don’t know how those thoughts entered my mind, but it was a way of coping,” she says. “I didn’t want my life to end, but I wanted the pain and hurt of what I was going through to stop. So, there was comfort in those thoughts because they meant I had a way out if I needed it. They were my response to difficult, abnormal circumstances.”
As a child, she appeared an “outgoing, confident, happy kid” who loved to dance, but inside it was a different picture as Miffy’s suffering took its toll. “There was a lot of unhappiness. I struggled to believe in myself.”
At school, Miffy enjoyed subjects like English and reading, which allowed her to escape into another world. However, socially she felt out-of-place, worried how others perceived her and kept her pain to herself. “I felt nobody would understand and that was hugely isolating. It can be scary sharing your feelings.”
この記事は New Zealand Woman's Weekly の December 14, 2020 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
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この記事は New Zealand Woman's Weekly の December 14, 2020 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
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