Tag: survivor
Posted on January 28, 2023
by Janna
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Proof. My son’s cap and gown for high school graduation came in this week. In May he’ll don the duo, walk alongside his classmates and best friends, and together — with his older sister, now a sophomore in college — we’ll mark one of… Continue Reading “The Proof (and Magic) of Milestones”
Category: Abuse Against Women, Advice, Advocacy & Education, Living Your Own Life, Opinion, Personal Essay, Self Empowerment, Self ImprovementTags: abuse survivors, cap and gown, domestic abuse, Domestic Violence, emotional abuse, family court, gaslighting, graduation, growth, healing, manipulation, milestones, narcissistic abuse, post-separation abuse, Spencer Reid, starting over after abuse, success, survivor
Posted on January 16, 2023
by Janna
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We: create peace favor warmth, and that which is authentic value security make a concerted effort to know and love ourselves share pride in each other stand for what’s right, and defend ourselves celebrate small victories support each other think critically own our responsibilities… Continue Reading “In My (post-abuse & abuse-free) Home”
Category: Abuse Against Women, Advice, Advocacy & Education, Living Your Own Life, Opinion, Personal Essay, Self Empowerment, Self ImprovementTags: domestic abuse, emotional abuse, happy, healing, healthy, home, peaceful, safety, security, starting over after abuse, survivor, well being
Posted on January 11, 2023
by Janna
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What if the reason you’ve spent a lifetime unsure, driven by self-doubt, and habitually second-guessing yourself is that someone(s) who held the most power for impact and effect during your formation (by which I mean formative years, yes, but also beyond: the sum total)… Continue Reading “Why a Life of Second-Guessing?”
Category: Abuse Against Women, Advice, Advocacy & Education, Living Your Own Life, Opinion, Personal Essay, Self Empowerment, Self ImprovementTags: birth order, controlling personalities, domestic abuse, emotional abuse, familial patterns, family dynamics, gaslighting, healing, manipulation, methods of control, narcissistic abuse, patterns, patterns of abuse, power and control, starting over after abuse, survivor
Posted on December 8, 2022
by Janna
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I have a habit of wishing those who upset me a hearty “F*ck you” in my head. And while I will always insist that anger has a healthy place in our healing, that we should both respect and allow it, I can also acknowledge… Continue Reading “Think Like a Monk (and hurl fewer FU’s)”
Category: Abuse Against Women, Advice, Advocacy & Education, Books & Resources, Living Your Own Life, Opinion, Personal Essay, Self Empowerment, Self ImprovementTags: abuse survivors, anger, domestic abuse, Domestic Violence, Harriet Lerner, healing, Jay Shetty, peace, purpose, starting over after abuse, survivor, The Dance of Anger, Think Like a Monk, unresolved anger
Posted on November 14, 2022
by Janna
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Take the selfie. Save the selfie. Share the selfie. Serious and silly. You don’t have to listen to the noise about how our world is “selfie-obsessed” and “self-absorbed.” If you’ve spent any time at all questioning your appearance, hating your body, or harboring low… Continue Reading “It’s Time to Get Comfortable with Yourself”
Category: Abuse Against Women, Advice, Advocacy & Education, Living Your Own Life, Opinion, Personal Essay, Self Empowerment, Self ImprovementTags: body dysmorphia, degradation, domestic abuse, Domestic Violence, emotional abuse, gaslighting, healing, low self-esteem, manipulation, self-love, starting over after abuse, survivor
Posted on October 21, 2022
by Janna
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Perspective. It’s important. A friend shared with me the other day that by seeing what someone else was going through in their home, she considered for herself, “Maybe it’s not so bad for me.” I agree with her. When we have tunnel vision our… Continue Reading “Why Perspective May Not Do You Any Favors”
Category: Abuse Against Women, Advice, Advocacy & Education, Living Your Own Life, Opinion, Personal Essay, Self Empowerment, Self ImprovementTags: abuse survivors, domestic abuse, Domestic Violence, DVAM2022, emotional abuse, excuses, gaslighting, healing, justification, manipulation, minimization, narcissistic abuse, starting over after abuse, survivor
Posted on September 5, 2022
by Janna
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“Such narrow, domineering rules feel a lot like the way domestic abuse feels.” This essay has been knocking around my noggin for months. Today I blew the dust off my Medium account and hit “publish.” I hope you’ll take a chance to check it… Continue Reading “How Public Housing Perpetuates a Pattern of Control”
Category: Abuse Against Women, Advice, Advocacy & Education, Living Your Own Life, Opinion, Personal Essay, Self Empowerment, Self ImprovementTags: abuse survivors, domestic abuse, Domestic Violence, emotional abuse, essays, financial abuse, healing, low-income housing, manipulation, Medium, personal essays, post-separation abuse, public housing, starting over after abuse, survivor
Posted on August 14, 2022
by Janna
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I don’t know about you, but I’m seeing lots of content that wants the world’s toxicity shared equally among its residents. Example: “You can’t really begin to grow until you accept that you were toxic, too.” Bullshit. I do not accept this victim-blaming. Do… Continue Reading “No, Not Everyone is Toxic”
Category: Abuse Against Women, Advice, Advocacy & Education, Living Your Own Life, Opinion, Personal Essay, Self Empowerment, Self ImprovementTags: codependence, domestic abuse, DV, education, empowerment, healing, self-care, survivor, toxicity, victim blaming, victim mentality, victim shaming
Posted on August 7, 2022
by Janna
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You’ll lose people along your journey. Sometimes it’s because they enable the one who abused you, therefore you cannot maintain connection with them. Sometimes it’s because they believe the lies and rumors, the smear campaign about you, and forsake their connection to you. Sometimes… Continue Reading “What You Sacrifice to Find Yourself”
Category: Abuse Against Women, Advice, Advocacy & Education, Living Your Own Life, Opinion, Personal Essay, Self Empowerment, Self ImprovementTags: abuse survivors, boundaries, discard, domestic abuse, emotional abuse, enabling, gaslighting, healing, lies, manipulation, people-pleasing, sacrifice, smear campaign, starting over after abuse, survivor, woke
Posted on August 5, 2022
by Janna
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It happened again last night. I saw someone from Our Story out of context. We were at a community event, both my kids and me. A man passed by and he looked familiar. Something about the dark hair and glasses. My eyes kept wandering… Continue Reading “Triggers in the Wild”
Category: Abuse Against Women, Advice, Advocacy & Education, Living Your Own Life, Opinion, Personal Essay, Self Empowerment, Self ImprovementTags: abuse survivors, custody cases, custody modification, domestic abuse, emotional abuse, family court, family court judges, healing, manipulation, starting over after abuse, survivor
WOMAN, DETERMINED 