This is Serious--During this Crisis, Some are in Danger in Their Own Homes
When the stress goes up, domestic crime rises
Most of you know I am a domestic abuse survivor. I have been choked, spat upon, locked outside in the snow (in my nightgown), thrown around, manhandled, and called every name in the book. The mental stress and total mind-screw that is your life is a delicate situation that you work and work and work to keep from blowing up in your face. But it doesn’t start out that way. It starts out as love/understanding/connection/passion that slowly, drop by drop, your freedoms are removed—so slowly sometimes that you don’t see it happening. Until some day you realize you are in danger and the way out seems impossible. The hold they have on you emotionally is almost impossible to explain. It’s like an addiction. It’s a paralyzing fear of what life will be without them—because you can no longer define yourself without their input or presence.
I just wanted to express to you how afraid I am for these chaotic families in isolation, perhaps losing money and resources—the stakes are high. The stress level goes up and it is like a pressure cooker. My heart is heavy with worry over the rise of domestic crime due to this Coronavirus isolation. It will get harder for these victims to keep the peace in their home—and I promise you, that is what they are trying to do. Keep the abuser from losing their shit.
Now that I am 15 years OUT of that situation I find myself in the position my family was in years ago when I was the one making excuses, hiding, crying. Now it’s me looking in on others who I KNOW are suffering. I wrote an article addressing what YOU can do when a loved one is in a toxic relationship. I hope you will read it. I hope you will share it widely. We, as a society need to udnerstand what we can do to help these victims without judging them because these relationships are so complex. Please read the following article and share it. Peace to you all.