The Library
Field noteDomestic violenceTraumaStarting overMental health1 minute read
Recovering after abuse
Rebuilding yourself once you are safe.
Getting out is a huge step. Recovery takes time.
What people often feel
- Relief, and sometimes missing the person
- Anxiety, jumpiness, nightmares
- Anger
- Shame for having stayed
- Feeling lost without the structure, even a harmful one
Ways to rebuild
- Reconnect with people you lost touch with
- Make small choices just for you: food, music, clothes
- Join a survivors' group
- Get trauma informed counselling
You are more than what happened
Abuse often makes people forget who they were. Bit by bit, you can find yourself again.
