For many years I felt targeted and hurt repeatedly by a member of my immediate family. Despite being younger than me, I always felt bullied and on the defense with them, even in our childhood years. As we got older, they dealt with substance issues that exacerbated their already volatile personality. I eventually chose to prematurely leave the family home to avoid contact with this person, and while contact was minimal in the following years, I eventually went full no-contact due to their hurtful words and actions in order to protect my mental health. Outside of my family, I struggled with negative romantic relationships that impacted my mental and physical health severely, and were even abusive in nature at times. It became a learned skill to go full no contact in order to preserve my sanity and safety, but it offered me so much more freedom than tying my worth to a singular hurtful and rejecting person. No contact looks different for everyone, but can benefit anyone.