Ah, this is a good question. There's so much potential advice I'd like to give to "6-years-ago" me, but there's also this fear that if I give her said advice, some of the choices she made--mistakes or otherwise--won't happen, and if they don't happen, the lessons I gleaned from them would be lost.
I guess I would have to give myself some very vague advice to avoid potentially losing what I'd learned.
It would probably go something like this: "Tough times are ahead; yes, you've gotten out of some ugly scrapes already, but there will always be new obstacles to face. The only advice I can give you to deal with these challenges is this: never give up. Never let your despair win; never let it drag you back down into that darkness--you fought hard to get out, and some days you're going to have to fight twice as hard to stay out--but you'll manage. Keep yourself busy with the things you love, with the things that drive you. Stop letting other people define you and infringe on your happiness with their constant pessimism--they are an emotional and psychological drain, and you owe it to yourself to refrain from giving in to their every little complaint. If the only way to find happiness is to look within, then it's fair to say you are not responsible for their happiness or their misery--they are. Live your life the way you want to, because at the end of the day, no one else is going to do it for you--life is short, so make the most of your time. Be productive in your pursuits, and take better care of yourself."
My, that was long. ^^;
