Tackling Depression after Abuse

Darkness Overcame Me

Accepting the realization that my life wasn’t going to improve while living with my abusive husband was tough. Realizing I was going to have to let go of my marriage; my sacred vow of unity with the guy that I used to love, felt overwhelmingly degrading. My emotional turmoil sifted between my abuser’s ugly reminders in my head “it’s all your fault” combined with my self-fulling feelings of personal failure. Slowly though, as I ventured out on my own with the children, a sense of darkness started surrounding me. I soon realized that depression after abuse was an obstacle I needed to face.

---

Depression After Domestic Abuse

Darkness started overcoming my days and nights.

There were so many disturbing thoughts and issues’ roaming around my head.  Shutting down was the only thing I could do. Dealing with being a single parent, financial ruins, thinking on my own, supporting three hurting children coping with the divorce news, and the difficulties my anxiety were causing me at work was too much. In hindsight, I never knew I was depressed.  Additionally, I didn’t acknowledge my depression as something that I needed to work through to move on with my life. As with so many other things, I believed the longer I was separated and trying to move on with my life, the easier my ability to function would be. I truly thought my inability to enjoy being alive was a result of being a burnt-out mother of three young children.

The first few years following my abuser’s departure were dark and lonely times. My inability to function impacted all aspects of my life – my physical and mental health suffered, my mothering skills suffered, my working life contained daily mistakes and an unhappy boss. Since I was unable to be open about my past and current confusion, I continued to hide behind a mask of being miserable without the support or understanding of my family or few acquaintances.  For safety reasons, I continued to keep the abuse a secret.
​
But, there is one thing my journey has taught me. Time alone doesn’t heal my emotional and physical scars left over from the abuse.

---

Time alone does not heal depression.

If you are not sure about opening up, or like me, continue to have concerns about safety, maybe a good starting point is contacting the National Domestic Violence Hotline http://www.thehotline.org/

The National Domestic Violence Hotline is a free and confidential resource for those in an abusive relationship or family or friends who love and care about their health and safety. Hotline services include:

• Crisis intervention
• Safety planning
• Information about domestic violence and referrals to local service providers
  ​
  

I found this web site to be extremely helpful as I navigated through this dark phase of my recovery.