An Open Letter to Grief
This is a letter to the most uninvited guest of my life. A guest I would give anything to have never met– this letter is for Grief.
Grief took me to the darkest place I have ever been and gnawed at my heart until it, too, became a giant, empty, black hole. During this time, there were many moments I thought Grief was nothing but a ball and chain I would have to live with for the rest of my life.
Investing in Yourself After Leaving an Abusive Relationship
Deciding to leave the situation is the first step in making things right with yourself and for yourself. Now begins your new journey of self-discovery and healing. A good place to start is by learning the ways you can invest in yourself after leaving the abuse behind physically.
Post Traumatic Growth: Thriving and Finding Meaning After Trauma
We have all heard the phrase, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” As survivors of domestic violence, this saying can be hard to grasp. It can leave you wounded, with both visible and invisible scars. It can sometimes be hard to imagine you will ever recover from the trauma you faced, let alone come back stronger.
Re-Learning to Love Yourself After Abuse
Loving yourself after abuse means allowing yourself to dance across–to and fro, weaving in and out of–the four Stones of Healing (self-study, self-love, self-compassion, self-awareness)… for the rest of your life.
Survivors in the Grey-Area: Intersecting Identities, Vulnerabilities, and Inequalities
Our identities are based on, among other aspects, our race, class, gender, sexuality, faith. What happens when the vulnerabilities and inequalities associated with each of these intersect? Survivors who are black women, pregnant working mothers, illegal immigrants or male could see their multiple identities interlock against them, but by analyzing their abuse through the lens of intersectionality we can better understand how to help.
Advocating for Teens in a Domestic Violence Relationship
TDV, just like domestic violence, is ruthless, and the road to recovery is often long and uphill. This is why it is an issue that should not be minimized and, instead, should be taken as seriously as intimate partner violence in adults. As seen in the survivor story above, it can affect survivors long after leaving the abusive relationship.
