Shared Links (weekly) July 6, 2025
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This should tell you a bit about how difficult this kind of work is. The man leading the independent investigation into historical child sex abuse in football has received counselling to deal with the traumatic evidence he has heard. First off, good for them for recognizing the need for counseling in the midst of this…
I had to learn resiliency later in life. I defined it as the knowledge that even if something didn’t go well, if I screwed up at work, did something embarrassing, or said something dumb, that I would still be OK. That is what gave me the confidence to socially engage, rather than the avoidance I had grown accustomed to. Had I felt safe enough as a child, I might have learned that I would be OK at a younger age. That would have made a world of difference in my early adult years, which were a mess when it came to mental health.
I didn’t feel safe as a child. I didn’t grow up knowing that I would be OK even if something bad happened. Bad things happened, and I wasn’t OK because I was alone with them. There was no safe place. I had to learn how to be my safe place. That’s what those kids who struggle with distress and social avoidance are trying to do. Having safety as a child would go a long way to help.
Now, I think we all know the Uncustomary Housewife is not a blog I’d normally be aware of, and in fact, until yesterday, I wasn’t. But I love using whatever platform to spread this message, and I’m glad she is allowing other folks to share their stories. “I started the “Not Alone Series”: a series…
This is what matters. Having people around you with the knowledge and willingness to support you. Far too many survivors, youth and adults, have never had that. We’ve failed them as a society that values our own discomfort with the topic over supporting people we claim to care about.
Until we stop doing that and start connecting with anyone who has experienced childhood trauma, we’ll continue to see all of the negative effects writ large.
“In the midst of a sexually abusive experience, we disappear. We become invisible. We retreat so far into ourselves that sometimes, we even dissociate. It is our best coping strategy for avoiding the pain, horror and trauma of the abuse. However, even if it occurred decades ago, past abuse may still be haunting you in…