HOW TRAUMA CAN MAKE YOU STRONGER

Confronting even the worst past experiences could help you move on and change your future.

Novelist Winnie M Li was assaulted and raped by a teenage boy while hiking near Belfast 15 years ago. Her story recently went viral after she revealed that each year, on the anniversary of the attack, she goes on a solo hike to help her deal with the PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder) she has since suffered.

The author, now in her early forties, was 29 at the time of the attack, which she used as the basis for her first novel.

Distressing experiences, from bullying or bereavement to violence or abuse, can have a lasting impact and the past plays a big part in the problems we face later in life.