by Arien Smith | May 26, 2020 | Healthy Relationships, Peace Through Acceptance
Being betrayed by a friend is one of the most painful experiences we can have. Whether that’s them turning abusive, revealing a secret they promised to keep, or hurting us in some other way—it destroys the relationship we had with them. And that’s painful....
by Arien Smith | Apr 28, 2020 | Peace Through Acceptance, Powerful Coping Strategies
This might sound weird, but regret is a surprisingly helpful feeling. It helps us control emotions trauma brings up, preventing us from ending up in a crisis. But…it definitely doesn’t feel pleasant, right? So how could it possibly be helpful? How can regret, an...
by Arien Smith | Mar 3, 2020 | Healthy Relationships, Peace Through Acceptance, Self Love
Victim blaming can be as traumatic as the initial abuse, especially when all of your friends leave—blaming you for what happened and shaming you for sharing your story. This shame, right after we make the courageous move to leave our abusers, can be extremely...
by Arien Smith | Oct 29, 2019 | Heal with Mindfulness, Peace Through Acceptance
Every survivor of abuse has experienced grief. It’s not always when a person leaves us or someone passes on—sometimes it’s the loss we feel over the fun childhood we never had. Or the betrayal of someone we thought loved us. Grief is always complex—even more so...
by Arien Smith | Oct 8, 2019 | Peace Through Acceptance, Powerful Coping Strategies
There is one technique guaranteed to lower stress in any situation. It’ll help you discover the best solutions, prevent exhaustion, and reduce the fear you feel while facing any challenging experience. It will help you manage stress in a self-loving, empowering way....
by Arien Smith | Sep 10, 2019 | Peace Through Acceptance, Self-Empowerment
Anger can be explosive, lashing out at anyone we care about—innocent or not. Or it can stay buried, festering into self-hatred or self-harm. Or maybe we reject the protective side of anger, letting people walk over us. Dealing with anger, no matter how it shows in...
by Arien Smith | Jul 30, 2019 | Healthy Relationships, Peace Through Acceptance, Self-Empowerment
Human touch. Something we all need, yet something many of us fear after abuse. It make sense touch is now scary. Previous displays of affection were often side by side with acts of violence. If you had asked me three years ago if I’d ever feel safe having sex, I...
by Arien Smith | Jul 9, 2019 | Peace Through Acceptance, Self Love
We can’t travel back in time and change our past…and this can cause a lot of despair. Difficult emotions may rage through you—scaring you and making it hard to find even one ounce of self acceptance. I get it. I truly, honestly do. Loving ourselves in any...
by Arien Smith | May 28, 2019 | Peace Through Acceptance, Powerful Coping Strategies
Coping with loss in general is tough, but even more so if that person was an abuser. Whether it was through their death or your conscious choice to leave them, grief is natural and expected. Though that doesn’t make it easy. So how do you handle it? Especially...
by Arien Smith | Jan 30, 2019 | Ending Mental Illness Stigma, Peace Through Acceptance
You never have to forgive your abuser. You never have to forget or deny what you went through. If you want to share your story publicly, go ahead. If you want to hate the people who hurt you, you have every right. Don’t listen to the people who say “forgive and...
