Free my mind by victoria

Free my mind by victoria - July 2025 Scholarship Essay

If I could turn back time and give my younger self just one piece of advice, it would be to release your anger and move on. For a long time, I carried around emotions that I didn’t know how to express. I clung to pain, disappointment, and frustration as if they were part of my identity, thinking that being angry was the only way to show strength. But as time passed, I realized that holding onto anger doesn’t empower you...it just drains you and keeps you stuck in moments that you should have moved beyond. I would tell my younger self that while anger is valid, it shouldn’t be a permanent thing. It’s perfectly fine to feel hurt, to cry, to be angry but eventually, you need to let it go if you want to heal. I’d remind myself that forgiveness isn’t about forgetting or excusing those who have hurt you...it’s about freeing your spirit from their hold. Letting go doesn’t signify weakness. It signifies that you are finally allowing yourself to find peace. If I had let go of my anger sooner, I would have made space for more love, more joy, and more personal growth. I would have treated myself with more kindness, and perhaps even been kinder to others.