Growing Pains

Growing Pains by Mik Broussard is a deeply personal and emotionally raw exploration of trauma, resilience, and healing. Through a series of poetic reflections, the author navigates the complexities of growing up while grappling with self-doubt, loss, and pain. The work is divided into two overarching sections—hurting and healing—mirroring a journey from despair to self-acceptance. The narrative captures the struggles of adolescence, touching on themes of self-harm, suicidal ideation, eating disorders, medical trauma, and gun violence. The author recounts painful memories with striking vulnerability, from feeling unseen and unworthy to confronting a school lockdown that alters their sense of safety. There is a recurring battle with self-worth, exacerbated by internalized pain, familial struggles, and an invisible illness that isolates the author from those who fail to understand their suffering. However, Growing Pains is not merely a chronicle of hardship—it is a testament to survival. As the collection progresses, the tone shifts from anguish to hope. The author finds solace in creativity, self-expression, and the realization that healing is not linear but possible. Through reflection, they reclaim their voice, embracing past versions of themselves with compassion rather than shame. The final pieces celebrate resilience, the beauty of imperfection, and the power of self-love, culminating in a message that survival is not just about enduring but about learning to thrive. Growing Pains is a powerful, introspective work that resonates with anyone who has faced darkness and fought to find the light.