I was bullied as a kid. It almost ruined my adult life.

I was left in a state that can only be described as emotionally handicapped. Friendships were hard, intimacy even harder. Anytime a potentially confrontational situation came up with someone I cared about, I would run away. I had no emotional reservoir for dealing with one-on-one situations that could become negative, and I hurt a lot of people because of it — afraid that I would be bullied again in some way.

Bullying also impacted my education years later. When I went off to college, even though I had good grades, anytime a professor offered me any feedback other than praise I felt like I was being attacked again. I quit when I was a junior, only to start and stop repeatedly for years. Criticism felt like bullying — and I could not take it.

Bullying also held me back from trying to achieve my dreams. I wanted nothing more than to get involved in national security studies. However, I always thought I was never good enough, never smart enough, never able to measure up. After I quit college, I found a dead-end sales job that promised high pay for long-hours. I suppressed my sorrows by working overtime, and while the money was good — allowing me to bury my feelings in retail therapy, fancy vacations, and fancier cars — all I was doing was running from the past.