An anti-pep talk on loneliness, trauma & healing
An anti-pep talk on loneliness, trauma & healing
I know healing can be really lonely; it is for me too, sometimes. Even when I’m around people, I can feel so alone because of my CPTSD. It just feels like I don’t belong or fit in and it can be so painful. After surviving trauma, we may withdraw socially or isolate ourselves in an effort to protect ourselves. And/also we may experience isolation because of our friends, family, and communities abandoning us. Both of these experiences can feed into each other in a vicious cycle of aloneness. I just want to take a moment to acknowledge how tough feeling lonely is - and how grateful I am that you’re still here, in spite of everything you’ve been through.
I see you and I hear you and I hope that you’re able to co-create a community around you. If that’s not something you’ve been able to do - yet - don’t blame yourself. I can’t say this enough: it’s fucking hard. I won’t give you a cheesy pep talk about how it won’t always be like this, at least not right now. I think it’s important for us to meet each other where we’re at, without leaving anyone behind. For today, I simply want to acknowledge how painful loneliness can be; that your feelings are perfectly understandable; that your experiences are real; and finally, that you’re not alone in them.
