Musings

backstabbers: how to recover

Perhaps it was a little bird that whispered the truth in your ear, or perhaps it was by chance that you caught your friend red-handed, but the appalling truth revealed itself sooner or later.

Your friend, your confidante, your true companion, was not so true after all.

The rage is nigh impossible to control, bubbling dangerously in the pits of your heart, ready to be spewed out as deadly, deadly venom -lashing words of your own. But under that rage is the reason why you are truly upset; the anguish, the sorrow. Sorrow that you can't ever put your trust into that person's hand again. That the memories made, the laughs shared and the head your shoulder supported -they were all false. Fake. Pretend.

And that tears you apart.

So you retreat into the shadows, in the hopes that time will heal your wounds. Yet that didn't happen. It was too shattering, too jarring a loss. You are scarred, and you are scared. Scared to move away from the shadows that now looms over you, threatening to engulf you. You do not see this threat, however; not when your own paranoia is threatening to drown you.

Stop.

You are stronger than that.

It's true, as a teen, our universe is very small, perhaps composed only of the small circle of people you see on a daily basis. And when one of them wrenches away, especially one occupying the inner circles of your life, it left a big hole in your heart.

But stop dwelling on this negativity. Remind yourself of the strangers that smiled at you, of the sweet-smelling spring-born flowers you sniffed and the fluffy snow that lands on the tips of your eyelashes in winter. Remind yourself of these little, seemingly insignificant positivity, and tell yourself that your hole can be mended.

Never stop being nice, and never so much as even think about taking revenge. You can't battle fire with fire. You are so much better than that. Do not give them any reason to believe whatever rumors have been spoken behind your back. Remember, actions speak louder than words; correct false perceptions through concrete actions. You can explain your side of the story all you want, but what good will it do? It'll always be one person's words against another's, with none to say who is more right than the other. Rather than wasting your time and breath convincing unimpressed audiences with clogged ears, simply strive to stick to your core values and continue on with your head held high.

You will get through this. Don't let these backstabbers get you down; they are behind you for a reason.