Behind the Sleeves: Olivia’s Journey to Healing

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Olivia was the kind of person everyone thought had it together. At school, she always had a smile, her grades were solid, and she never missed a day of practice for the school’s drama club. But what no one saw were the long sleeves she wore, even when the weather was warm. They didn’t see the marks she hid underneath.

It started when she was 13. The pressure to be perfect weighed on her—expectations from school, friends, and even herself. She didn’t know how to express what she was feeling, and every time she tried, it felt like no one really listened. The sadness built up inside her, a storm with nowhere to go.

One night, after a particularly hard day, she found herself sitting on the floor of her room, feeling completely overwhelmed. She wanted a way to make the pain make sense. That’s when she picked up something sharp and dragged it across her skin. The pain was quick, but the relief was quicker. For a moment, it felt like she was in control.

But that moment faded fast. What started as an occasional escape became a cycle she couldn’t break. She told herself it wasn’t a big deal. That she had it under control. That no one needed to know.

Then, one day, her best friend, Mia, noticed. “Liv, I saw something on your arm the other day. Are you okay?”

Olivia panicked. She wanted to deny it, to brush it off, but the concern in Mia’s voice made her pause. No one had asked her that before—not like they really meant it. Tears welled in her eyes, and before she knew it, the words spilled out.

Mia didn’t judge. She didn’t freak out. She just listened. And for the first time, Olivia felt like she wasn’t alone.

With Mia’s support, Olivia reached out for help. It wasn’t easy—opening up to a counsellor, learning new ways to cope—but slowly, things started to change, get better and eventually the urge went away.