I spent years running from my childhood grief, thinking time would magically fix everything. But avoiding pain only prolongs the suffering and stunts our growth.

It's understandable to want to avoid it, ignore it, run from it. The reality is, sometimes facing that pain, trauma, or grief turns out to be as bad as you think it will be.

The critical thing here is that you do force yourself to face it, feel it, and work through it. It's going to sting and hurt. Sometimes you have to let it hurt to heal.