Many people hang in limbo for a while. They’re afraid to admit that leaving might be the best option. It comes with so many unknowns and perhaps shame. But they also cannot imagine staying in a relationship like this forever. This seems like an unfair, bleak option. At this point, action is needed. Action to help […]
Creating Your Emergency Plan
If you’re planning to leave an abusive relationship, and you’re at all worried about escalation, it’s important to have an emergency plan in place that you share with trusted people in your life. We don’t need to do everything by ourselves. Lean on the people you trust and let them help support you. A friend […]
Bricks Fall
and then the weight starts to fall away one brick at a time the newfound peace you’re finally feeling your one true solid sign what seemed so hard so far away rests before your weary eyes a hint of light a fleeting glimmer the hope begins to rise Why did this step seem so hard […]
Guest Poem: Ocean Reflections
You’ve probably stood in a place where you had to make a difficult decision. When you looked down two paths, needing to choose one. But stepping onto the path your heart calls you to can feel impossible when the people around you are pulling you to the other path, telling you not to trust yourself. […]
What I Wish For You
What I wish for you is this: That you never feel the depths of the loneliness that you feel now. Because the loneliness you feel sitting next to someone who no longer cares for you is infinitely more painful than the loneliness of being on your own, knowing you had the courage to do hard […]
Courage on Bumpy Roads
I’m lucky because I consider my mom my best friend. She taught me to be the strong, independent person I am, and has always helped me be courageous in times when I was shakey. My mom has a giant heart, makes amazing apple pie, and adores animals. She’s also a pro at finding the best […]
9 Tips for Shared Custody (Being Apart from Your Kids)
Being alone in your home without the normal loud chaos that our kids bring to daily life is a hard shift after divorce. Our babies aren’t “supposed” to be apart from us. And the guilt for “choosing” this can be overwhelming. Those first times apart from my kids, my body and mind didn’t know what […]
Disney Movies and Abusive Relationships
I want to talk today about how our upbringing (and Disney movies) helped teach us to be okay with abusive relationships. I’ll walk through a scenario with you, and then in the second half I’m going to talk about the different types of abuse a relationship may encounter and what you should and shouldn’t put […]
When the “Crazy” Came Out
In the news, as I started to write this, was the release of body cam footage from police officers who pulled over a young couple during their van trip. The girl, Gabby, was distraught, in tears and nearly charged with assault on her boyfriend. But she took the blame. She blamed her mental health. The […]
Screenshots that Saved Me
Breathe darling. This is just a chapter. It’s not your whole story. S.C. Lourie When I remember of the darkest points in my marriage, I think of laying in bed, by myself, in the dark, with my phone in hand, tears drying after an uncontrollable cry over something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. […]