I have been a little reluctant about writing over this topic. It is something that is hard to talk about, and especially hard to talk about when you were once a victim of abuse. Growing up, my biological father was abusive to myself and my two siblings. Most of my life thus far, I struggled with accepting my past and it was nearly impossible for me to trust anyone. Enduring something so painful emotionally, mentally and physically, is inexplainable and it has taken many years for me to be able to openly discuss abuse.
Those that have gone through abuse of any kind are some of the bravest and strongest people in the world. They are survivors and have experienced the unthinkable. First of all, it is okay to grieve, it is okay to be upset or angry, it is okay to reach out for help whenever needed. Crying does not make you weak, going to see a counselor does not make your abuser win, being angry and sad does not make you any lesser of a person. Getting help is you being strong, it is you starting to accept the awful things that happened to you, it is you starting to heal.
Abuse is a word that just hangs in the air, it can be awkward or uncomfortable to talk about and of course a very touchy subject. I'm here to say that it is okay to talk about abuse, it is good to bring awareness to abusive relationships or situations. Most abusers know their victims, most are very close to their victims. They can be family members, friends, acquaintances and of course they can be complete strangers. One thing that all abuse victims can relate to is they would never wish this upon anyone else. Everyone is different and some wish to not speak about what they went through, but we can all agree that there should be more awareness and more help available to abuse victims.
Another point I would like to touch on is that everything truly gets better. Everyone heals at their own pace and copes in different ways, but life does start to get better and things start to become normal. Of course, trusting people will always remain difficult, you might still over-analyze most situations and relationships you are in and you'll get upset here and there. My point though is, life gets better. Life will start to turn around and you will again find normalcy in your everyday life.
Being an abuse survivor myself, I have much respect and compassion for those who are also victims and survivors of abuse. I would never wish it upon anybody to endure anything even near what myself and my family experienced. Abuse does not define someone, and I finally realized it does not define me. Life goes on, people still love you regardless of what you have gone through, and everything gets better with time and healing.
