Some choices save your life even when they shatter your heart.
Dear Survivor,
“The day I blocked him, my hands were shaking so badly I could barely hold the phone. I felt nauseous, terrified, and strangely guilty. No one had taught me how to walk away from someone who claimed to love me while tearing me apart. It felt like I was cutting off a part of myself. And in a way, I was. The part that thought I still needed his permission to breathe,” one survivor shared.
“I cried harder that day than I had in months.”
“There was no parade. No relief. No sudden freedom. Just silence. The kind that echoes and makes you question everything. I kept waiting for someone to tell me I was allowed to feel heartbroken and empowered at the same time. That it was normal to miss what hurt me. That love and abuse can exist in the same relationship, but love alone is not enough to stay.”
“And I kept going anyway.”
Peace is quiet at first. It tiptoes in slowly, behind the grief. It builds itself around your nervous system, one safe morning at a time. It shows up in the calm you feel after not checking your phone for hours. It lives in the steady knowing that you are finally protecting yourself. You are doing for you what no one else ever did. This survivors reflections are powerful. And you can have this, too.
If you are walking this same road, The Recovery Roadmap may help you feel less alone. It is a guide for finding your footing after a painful separation.
If no one has told you lately, I am proud of you for choosing you.
Blessings and healing,
Catrina