I was hesitant to share this post, but I know there are millions of women like me who are currently experiencing this. I will not ask you to leave because I understand how difficult it is. No one will truly understand what we go through because they aren’t in our shoes. We develop a trauma-bound relationship with our abusers and become so afraid to run because we know there will always be consequences. We all leave when we are finally ready and have had enough. However, some women aren’t so lucky. Many have lost their lives to the person they once loved. I hope by sharing my story, it helps prevent a situation like this from happening to you. Try to be strong and walk away at the first sign of disrespect because little by little, it will only get worse. He will sweet talk you every time he hurts you, only to lure you back in. If he tells you, “This time he’ll change and he’s sorry,” please understand that he doesn’t mean it. That man is broken. He saw your light from a mile away and is going to try and dim it. He wants you at his level, so he’s going to tear you down little by little until you are as broken as him. Please don’t ignore the red flags in a man. I’m trying to save you from this happening to you too. I really thought I was going to lose my life at one point. It was the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced. I could see my life flash before my eyes, and all I could hear was my daughter’s screams. Her little face was filled with fear, and tears were running down her face. To see her mother slowly passing out and my abuser on top of me, choking me, and telling me, “I’m going to kill you,” was unbearable. I slowly developed severe panic attacks, anxiety, and started having trouble sleeping. I developed PTSD. The amount of trauma I had was unbearable. It took me so long to finally be done. Although I forgave him, I know you might think, “How could you forgive him for all that he’s put you through?” The thing is, I had to because God doesn’t want me to hold hate in my heart. I had to so I could find peace within myself and be free. I’ve gone through so much. For so many years, I couldn’t talk about much of it. I was embarrassed, ashamed, and lived with constant regret. I had to learn to heal every aspect of myself. I have wounds that will take a very long time to heal, but I understand that with time, I will be okay again. I’m so proud of myself for finally getting the strength to walk away. I had to learn to love myself because I didn’t for so long. I had to learn to set boundaries with people so that they wouldn’t think it was okay to use me, disrespect me, or take advantage of me. I had to be okay with spending time alone and walking away from people when they no longer served a purpose in my life. And I had to be okay with it. Every person who has walked into my life has hurt me a little more than the person before them. So believe me when I tell you that I’ve become so strong that I will not take anything from anyone ever again. At the lowest point of my life, I found God. My comeback is personal. The little girl/woman who once didn’t have a voice is going to be loud and fight hard to become the best version of herself. I’m going to heal every part of me out loud because I almost lost myself in silence. To the women who feel alone and are experiencing this, please seek help. Reach out to me. I am here for you. You are not alone. We will get through it together. I love you. I promise. When you finally get the strength to leave, it will all be worth it. I’m sincerely apologize to my family and my friends for pushing all of you away when in reality I needed all of you more than you guys could ever imagine 💜 #domesticviolenceawareness #dv #dvsurvivor #survivor #strenth #domesticabuseawareness #selflove #selfworth #loveyourself #selflovejourney #heal #healing #healingera #awareness - @yvonnsita8a