After the Storm

Reconnecting with Myself After Leaving Domestic Violence

For a long time, I lived in survival mode.

Every day felt like walking on eggshells—carefully choosing my words, monitoring my tone, shrinking myself to keep the peace. I wasn’t living; I was existing in fear. A dark shadow hovered over me constantly, slowly eating away at my spirit, my confidence, and my sense of self.

Leaving was one of the bravest things I’ve ever done. It was the first step toward freedom. But no one really talks about what comes after.

The hard part wasn’t just leaving—it was healing. It was facing the damage, the numbness, the silence that followed. It was the long, slow journey of reconnecting with the version of me that had been buried under years of pain and fear.

At first, I didn’t even know who I was anymore. I had spent so long just agreeing, just surviving, that I had lost touch with my own voice. I questioned everything. I doubted myself constantly. But deep down, there was a flicker of something—me. A part of me that remembered who I was before, and who I still had the potential to become.

Reconnecting with myself didn’t happen all at once. It came in small, quiet ways—setting boundaries, learning to trust my intuition, allowing myself to rest without guilt, choosing kindness over self-blame. I started journaling, meditating, surrounding myself with safe, loving energy. I spoke to myself gently, like someone worthy of love and tenderness.

And slowly, I began to feel something I hadn’t felt in a long time—wholeness.

I didn’t just want to heal—I wanted to grow. To become not only free from abuse, but free to be the best version of me. One rooted in strength, softness, self-respect, and peace.

Leaving was just the beginning. Reconnecting with myself—that has been the true healing.