Recovery is hard. Trauma is a daily battle for us survivors of abuse. Each fight is not an easy one. It’s completely natural to have a lack of motivation. You’ve fought hard. You have stood your ground in every battle and you’ve come out victorious. You’re still here and that’s what truly matters. But this doesn’t mean you feel motivated. Instead, you probably feel absolutely exhausted. Your sleep is disturbed with nightmares, your daily energy is...
Inner peace is possible for you, and every other survivor of abuse, to find. It comes with one simple thing: building a home within yourself. Obviously, I’m not talking about a literal home. But rather, a safe place where you can feel and process all emotions. Where you exist authentically and can choose how to share your true self with the world. It’s by understanding that emotions are safe to feel and that you are...
Medication can save our lives when we have a mental illness. Therapy can work wonders. But sometimes, we need natural remedies for depression too. I’m a huge supporter of psychiatric medication. Just two weeks ago, my doctor was delayed (quite significantly) in refilling one of my scripts. And my gosh did I feel it! Panic attacks went from once every 3-4 days, to almost four times a day. Medicine can transform our lives, but it doesn’t...
This is your life—not anyone else’s. You’re the one meant to make empowered decisions about your dreams and your future. And yet, are you constantly seeking approval from others? It’s so incredibly common for us survivors of abuse to wait on an “okay” from someone else. To constantly be seeking approval, even when we’re fully capable of making these decisions for ourselves. This isn’t anything to be ashamed of. This all came from a simple pattern...
You are not taking a step back in your recovery when PTSD comes back. When memories of abuse resurface. Truthfully, you can always improve your mental health even in the midst of the tough emotions of trauma recovery. The work you have been doing is still in play, even when it feels like you fell backwards. You’re always moving forwards—a part of moving forwards is letting your past come up so it can be healed....
You are so strong, whether you are happy or traumatized. Your emotional strength is unshakeable. You’ve survived so much and, even though this recovery is hard, I know you can survive it too. This entire video is a message about your infinite strength. It’s to inspire and uplift you, especially when you’re feeling weak or broken down. Emotional strength is not something that is only sometimes present. It isn’t defined by being able to force...
Have you ever been hanging out with friends and your mind says, “why do they even want to spend time with me?” Or doubted that you’re worthy of love? This is all due to guilt and shame, the kind that hurts and harms us survivors nearly every day. How do you overcome guilt and shame? How do you see yourself in a loving light? First, you have to understand what they are. Guilt and shame are...
Your trauma impacted you, but it does not shape your entire life. You can still live your dreams—even if it feels like it seriously damaged you. You are stronger than ever. This empowering quote from Maya Angelou proves that. “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can choose not to be reduced by them.” We didn’t control our abusers. They hurt us and we couldn’t stop them. We felt powerless—we possibly...
Do you sprint away from conflict? When even the slightest disagreement happens, do you feel unworthy of that relationship? Maybe you criticize yourself or have a petrifying fear of relationship conflict? Whatever it is, it’s detrimental to your relationships. All relationships (even the most healthy relationships ever) have conflicts. It’s natural when two people interact. Yet, us survivors of abuse often fear it. And for good reason! In the past, conflict could have been very threatening....
Everything horrible seems to come up all at once. Your past flashes before you and unbearable emotional pain washes over you. You’re stuck feeling overwhelmed and totally alone in your pain. It’s my guess that every survivor of abuse faces this. Trauma hits like a ton of bricks, knocking you down and causing a surge of anguish to rise. It feels, in that moment, like you’re the only person on the planet experiencing so much pain....