a little advice

Nov 5 2011

Ive been doing ok.....i know its been a bit since I have last written.....In all honesty its because I really have been ok


I havent checked my blog since the last time I wrote....i havent felt that i was at the low enough point where i needed to write, but today, I decided to check in case there was a comment left.  There is a comment from someone also having a tough time, just hitting their year mark as well.  This person doesnt know how to cope, how to handle things, how to make life ok again......doesnt feel like they have an outlet, cant talk or write because it stirs up too many overwhelming feelings.....looking for advice  
I get it.  The mixture of about 10 different emotions hitting you all at one time.....enough emotion to cause an actual physical response that could drop you to your knees. This person says they cannot speak about what happened, I get it.  They cant write either, I get that too.  

Here is a little background on me.  I did everything I could in school to avoid any classes that involved speaking in public.  I never voiced my opinions, if I disagreed with things, I would do so silently and then go about my business the way I wanted, without making a big deal out of it.  If someone had told me that one day I would walk down the main street of a town announcing to anyone that could see that I had been raped, or that I would contact a news station to call attention to the appalling response by the NOPD .....I would have personally sent them for a psych evaluation. 

I am a very private person with few friends......I chose this life.  As I think I have mentioned before, I think that people are inherently bad....a truly good person is incredibly hard to come by, but when you do, those are the ones you hold on to, everyone else should be kept at a distance because they will inevitably falter....and if you dont let yourself care about too many people....you have a significantly less chance of having others actions have a true effect on you. 

That being said......look at me now, I have shared the darkest point of my life with the entire world.  I never thought I could speak out in public and I havent written anything beyond a 5 page paper for school...

My Advice:  like it or not world....
I found that counseling wasnt the answer ...for me, and Im betting, for more than half of rape victims.  I literally could not form words most times I tried to speak about my rape.  When I had to explain my severe change in attitude to my boss, I could not get the words out....I had to write it in 3 page letter....and in the end of that letter, request that she never bring up the situation to me again. Speaking to my best friend at the time, would cause my voice to tremble, hands to shake and eyes to tear up.  There hasnt been one occasion where speaking helped me control my emotions or process any part of my situation.

I found that writing, for me, was my  best outlet.  As I said earlier.....I am not a writer.  I havent written anything of substance in my life.  The thing about starting this blog was that I was letting my emotions out by typing.....but while typing I can ball my eyes out, let my hands shake......and no one can see...no one is there in my ear telling me everything is ok or asking how they can help.  No one is looking at me with pity.  At least by writing, I am able to process my thoughts...put some things in order....it forces me to face what I am feeling.
 Some have asked why I am publicly writing.....its fine and good if I want to write, but why do I have to post it online.......for me,  I found it to be a necessity.   After I was raped, I was looking for help.  My first instinct was to go online and find out what my options were.  How I could fight back , what support groups were out there to maybe give me some guidance.   I went online and was distraught at the fact that I really could not find any sort of information on anything.  There were a few names of groups out there, but nothing that really tells a victim where to go to get help in making the police pay attention to you, or where to go for legal advice, or even just a story or two of perseverance.  There was nothing I could find that made me say to myself "wow, these emotions and physical reactions I am having are normal"   
So I decided to do something about it.  My struggle is out there, for everyone to see....and it seems to be helping a few people that seem to be doing what I did....going on-line to find some sort of answers or comfort. 

Even if you dont think you are a "writer"....I suggest you do it.....writing helps to get through the emotion without anyone else around you to judge or pity you.  It is a very private, intimate way to get your feelings out, see them on paper ...and maybe then, give you the chance to process what you have written.  Im not saying sit there and analyze what you write.....I dont even look back at anything I have written......but the process of forming your thoughts to put them on paper so that they make a little sense and then leaving them in the past seems to help me. You dont have to write and post to the public like i have been doing, but just write for yourself....its pretty therapeutic. 

As cliche as it sounds, I also found that exercise helps.  Getting to the gym and getting my blood pumping actually helps me breathe better.  Sometimes, anxiety and emotions make my chest feels so tight and it really feels hard to breathe.....getting active forces my lungs to literally stretch out and somehow that helps....I cant explain why, it just does. 

Music also seemed to help me get through the darkest times......once again....total cliche, but true.  I know there were a few times where I posted in this blog when music seemed to just have a huge emotional effect on me.

I hope this helps .  please keep me updated on how you are doing :)