Lynne Writes…

Tag: trauma

  • Cornell, Domestic Violence and Victim-blaming/shaming

    Cornell, Domestic Violence and Victim-blaming/shaming

    Cornell, Domestic Violence and Victim-blaming/shaming

    October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and I feel like this is a perfect time to start a conversation about abuse of all kinds. This past spring, I was at a fundraiser for an organization I volunteer for, and the theme was calling men to action to protect women and children. Which, let’s be honest, protects our society as a whole.

    Like others, I can’t seem to stop watching and reading the opinions and outrage of others regarding the deplorable situation that happened at Cornell University in 2024.

    As a woman in my 60s, I have experienced sexual abuse, sexual assault, sexual harassment as well as childhood sexual abuse. For decades. And I’m not alone. (Let that sink in.)  I am horrified that crimes against girls and women continue. With as many women as I know who speak out against these crimes, it keeps happening.

    Why are we not being heard? Why do these crimes continue?

    In my circle of women friends, women family members and women co-workers, over 95% of them have experienced some form of sexual crime against them, too.

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  • Love, Loss, and Leaning into an Addict’s Poem on “Wasted Time”

    Love, Loss, and Leaning into an Addict’s Poem

    Mental Health Awareness

    Several weeks ago, I received my new laptop, which led me to go through files in my current system, deciding what I want to transfer and what needs to be deleted.

    It is as daunting as going through a file cabinet. A task that needs to be done, but can be so overwhelming.

    Whether the files are digital or paper, it’s difficult to go through these items. It can be very triggering. Finding documentation of injuries, illnesses, deaths, financial problems, old photos, cards and letters, and more, can bring about moments of grief. I believe that’s why it’s easier to clean out someone else’s “junk” than our own. The emotional attachment to items can make de-cluttering anything a daunting task.

    As I went through the files, I came across a poem written by my half-brother, Jeff. I made a copy of it, and have read it to several people in the past few weeks of finding it again.

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  • Love, Loss, and Lessons Learned from an Uprooted Tree

    Love, Loss and...

    One of the benefits of a warmer-than-normal fall in the Midwest is the opportunity to get out for a walk without bundling up from head-to-toe. It’s especially helpful for me, as walking is one of my go-to, self-care modalities as I process grief.

    One of the pitfalls is, though, while the warmth and sunshine are appreciated, the storms that are trying to settle us into winter weather have definitely created havoc.

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  • Love, Loss and Losing Remi

    Love and Loss
    Remington, my devoted co-worker.

    Love, Loss and Losing Remi

    To say the past few years have been fraught with loss is a complete understatement. Some days, it feels like the hits just keep on coming.

    I’m sick of dealing with grief and trauma.

    One of the biggest myths people hear is “God doesn’t give you more than you can handle.” Hah – I beg to differ.

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  • Love, Loss and Learning to Listen while Healing

    Love, Loss and Learning to Listen while Healing

     

    I’ve added this post to my “Love, Loss and …” series, because so far, the year 2020 has been a “big T” trauma. Our entire world is learning to live with grief and trauma on so many levels. And as I know, trauma healing begins with someone who will listen. Trauma healing also needs one to listen to one’s self and to self-reflect.

    When this Facebook post hit my feed the other night, I wanted to hit “share,” add a heart emoticon, and send it into the virtual world. (link here)

    Something stopped me. I felt I needed to say more, and I took a few days to realize that, yes, I needed to do more than just share. It took me a few days to gather my thoughts about this interview with Blake Hairston.

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  • Love, Loss and Learning to Self-care with Art

    Love, Loss and Learning to Self-care with Art

    self-care
    The Mask – Jason Rice – April 2020 (mixed media)

    In my last post I discussed my “self-care” emergency kit. While I incorporate several modalities, my favorite is the “Daily Challenge.”

    Every day, I challenge myself to learn or try something new. Sometimes it is as simple as looking up a word I don’t recognize. Other times it’s reading a new topic, or challenging myself to walk 15 more minutes. Some days, it’s trying something new with art.

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  • Love, Loss and Learning how to Self-care in a Crisis

    As I continue my healing journey, one thing I am constantly reminded of is to “self-care.” I’m sure others are probably tiring of me reminding them to do the same.

    Self-care may sound a little “woo-woo,” but it really is not. It’s not all about massages or mani-pedis, though they can be incorporated, too. In times of trauma recovery, self-care is a reminder to be gentle with yourself in all situations, and to not only learn your limits, but to honor them, too.

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  • Love, loss and life lessons

    Love, Loss and Life Lessons
    Weight of grief – Sculpture by Celeste Roberge – www.celesteroberge.com

    As I continue on my healing journey, I am learning lessons on love and loss.

    As I mentioned in my last post, I feel grief is the death of hope. It’s the loss of the loved one, the dream, the life you hoped for.

    Grief sucks. Grief produces a trauma all of its own. You can feel its physical affects.

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  • My mental health journey – May is #MentalHealth Month

    My mental health journey
    My mental health journey – recognizing that I am stronger than I know…

    Why is it that when we have a physical ailment, we feel free to go to the doctor? Yet, when we have a mental health issue, often times we don’t seek help.

    There is a stigma around seeking mental health treatment, and it is killing us in many ways: broken souls, suicides, abuse, stress-related illnesses, substance abuse, etc.

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