Battered but not Broken

Guilt, shame, fear, rejection these are just a few of the feelings that arise from an abusive relationship.

When you say ‘abuse’ some may think that means physical abuse but abuse comes in other forms as well. Physical is just one part of the abuse. Mental and emotional abuse is sometimes harder to recover from than the physical, and can’t be seen by those around you. I think the mental and emotional abuse is the hardest to overcome. Scars from the physical abuse can be seen but tend to fade over time. The mental and emotional scars bubble up when you least expect them. Even after many years, they still rear their ugly head.

The shame of ‘why did I stay so long’, the guilt of ‘what impact did my staying have on the kids’, the fear of when the next outburst and how bad was it going to be, the rejection of not being enough.

So many scars, but also so much appreciation that I am still here.