Have you ever felt apologetic to share your story of abuse, or to sit down and offer yourself the opportunity to heal from it? Was it because you didn’t think it was as bad as what other people went through, or were there other reasons?
I understand things are relative, and recognizing that there are experiences that are worse than what we've gone through can help shift your perspective. And from this perspective, it can help you to heal in a number of ways. One is to count your blessings.
The problem I have is when this perspective is used, either by yourself or another, to diminish, trivialize the *impact* on you, or worse, silence you. Feelings matter, addressing them isn't "coddling" yourself or being "overly dramatic".
I have felt apologetic and ashamed many times to speak up, never mind to ask for help. Easier for me to be there for someone else, than for myself.
It's this disparity of caring for oneself and caring for others that I want to address, and for the love of all that's good and holy, for anyone to use the contrast of someone's worse abuse, if you will, of another, to excuse or continue abusing you? No.
Have you ever felt apologetic to share your story of abuse, or to sit down and offer yourself the opportunity to heal from it? Was it because you didn’t think it was as bad as what other people went through, or were there other reasons?
I understand things are relative, and recognizing that there are experiences that are worse than what we've gone through can help shift your perspective. And from this perspective, it can help you to heal in a number of ways. One is to count your blessings.
The problem I have is when this perspective is used, either by yourself or another, to diminish, trivialize the *impact* on you, or worse, silence you. Feelings matter, addressing them isn't "coddling" yourself or being "overly dramatic".
I have felt apologetic and ashamed many times to speak up, never mind to ask for help. Easier for me to be there for someone else, than for myself.
It's this disparity of caring for oneself and caring for others that I want to address, and for the love of all that's good and holy, for anyone to use the contrast of someone's worse abuse, if you will, of another, to excuse or continue abusing you? No.
That's just a hard no!