advertisement

Blogs

I have a tool in my toolbox for schizoaffective disorder that I haven’t written about before. The tool is earplugs.
Every individual will have a unique experience with verbal abuse recovery. Each situation is different, resulting in a personalized journey for healing that requires changing tools and strategies. However, navigating which methods to use during your recovery process can be overwhelming. It can help to have various coping strategies in abuse recovery.
An area of my anxiety that has been difficult to overcome has been productivity anxiety. Since I was young, I've held myself to high standards that I've found unreachable. When I was younger, these standards meant getting good grades and succeeding in school. As I got older, these standards extended to every other area of life. The problem with constantly chasing standards like this is that they get bigger, higher, and seemingly less realistic, to the point that trying to get there becomes a source of stress and anxiety. In my experience, this has looked like the need to be constantly productive. But the anxiety I experience about productivity means it always feels like what I do is never enough.
I tend to be much more transparent and vulnerable online than I am in daily face-to-face interactions. When someone I know in real life inquires about my fitness or nutrition habits (because, to the surprise of no one, this is a body-conscious culture), I notice my cheeks start to flush, and I choose the vaguest answer possible. That reaction strikes me as curious, though. Why am I still embarrassed about my eating disorder after all these years?
Dating and depression don't mix very well. When you feel terrible about yourself because of depression, it's not the best time to meet new people and try to develop healthy connections. But if your depression is longstanding, does that mean you shouldn't date? Can you successfully date while depressed?
Generally speaking, I'm not a very good liar, but I am excellent at lying to myself. I count myself amongst the majority in this department. Most people value honesty and seek to use it in their relations with others, but when it comes to themselves, they may be so adept at deception that they don't even know they're doing it. But self-honesty and not lying to yourself matters.
I had somehow convinced myself that my life would be over the moment I walked out of there, completely devoid of confidence and self-worth. That’s a tad dramatic, but at the time, I didn’t know better; I was so clouded by feelings of self-doubt to see beyond the tragedy (as I would have described it at the time) unfolding right before my eyes. You’re a little lost, so let me dial it back for you.
When treating bipolar disorder, I think it's critical to gain bipolar mood stability first and only then tweak up or down as needed. That means that if you're in a depression right now (and let's face it, that's when people seek help the most), the goal isn't to treat depression, per se, but rather to gain bipolar stability. Of course, I'm not the only one who thinks this. The esteemed psychiatrist Dr. Jim Phelps agrees: treatment should focus on bipolar mood stability first.
I have a long history with perfectionism. In fact, I cannot recall a time in my life when this fixation wasn't driving my performance and achievements. I suspect this is one reason I have always been drawn to activities or pursuits that measure excellence in visible, quantifiable terms. In school, I only accepted straight As. In athletics, I gravitated to sports like archery, where I could aim for the center of a literal bullseye. And in my career, I have turned to writing—a skill based on technical precision. But as I continue to heal my thoughts and behaviors from the residue of anorexia, I am learning to appreciate that eating disorder recovery is not about perfection.
It can be discouraging for many individuals to move away from and begin verbal abuse recovery once they realize the journey is not straightforward. Unlike overcoming other life obstacles, recovery from verbal abuse may present setbacks, leaving an individual with lost hope for a healthy relationship. Although the process may not be as simple as avoiding an abuser, it is possible to hold meaningful connections with others.

Follow Us

advertisement

Most Popular

Comments

Heather
Have u looked up narssisst

I found out that is what mine is 11 years into the marriage!!
Bree
Hi, I have long scars (six-seven inches long or so) reaching from the middle of my hand down my wrist. I've been trying to wear a hoodie to cover them up, but now it's summer, and I don't own any long sleeve shirts because I don't like to wear them. I've tried wearing bracelets and watches, but the scars go too high on my hand. Do you have any ideas for me?

thanks!
Carole Sustin
My two daughters are a year apart at 14 and 15.They both are into boys now and as a mom,i feel it is my duty to protect their purity and innocence.For special occasions i require them to wear rubberpants under their dresses to prevent them from wanting to fool around when they are going to be around boys.They have to wear them for weddings,special church events,Easter,and any other special occasion.Having them wear the rubberpants is very effective and so far they have not become sexually active.I recommend other moms to use rubberpants on their tee girls to protect their purity and innocence!
Chrissy M.
To Hannah Kolter-I to was a puberty bedwetter and like you,wore the cloth diapers and rubberpants to bed every night untill past 15.My younger brother thought it was a 'hoot' that i was in diapers and rubberpants at night! My abuse started at 13 when i was the flowergirl in my niece's wedding.I wore a white sleeveless,poofy,above the knees flowergirl dress with a veil,lace anklets and white shoes.Mom put my diapers and rubberpants on me,telling me they would make me feel cuter and more little girlish for my role as flowergirl!During the wedding dance,an 18 year old guy asked me to dance with him so i did and he started talking to me and told me how cute i looked.After a while,he took me to a class room and told me he wanted to be alone with me and talk.Soon one thing led to another,and he put his hand under my dress and felt my diapers and rubberpants and he got very aroused!He got me to my knees and made me give him oral sex which i had never done before! The next year when i was 14,i did my 8th grade confirmation and us girls had to wear white dresses and veils with tights and white shoes.Mom put the diapers and rubberpants on me again under the tights.A male cousin who came to my party,kept eyeing me,and he saw the diapers and rubberpants under my tights when mom lifted up my dress and showed them to a friend of mine! He got me alone down in our basement and put his hand on the back of my tights and rubbed his hand over the back.He tried to get me to my knees to give him oral sex,but i refused.I finially stopped my bedwetting past 15 and was happy to be out of the diapers and rubberpants!
Crystal, LCSW
Social workers can earn a Doctorate of Social Work degree, so that and other information in this article is incorrect. I have an MSW and I’m a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW). I own a private practice and diagnose and treat mental illnesses, not just provide resources. When writing articles such as this to “educate” the public it would be helpful to do extensive research to ensure the information is accurate.