Are there days when you still get scared?” When my coworker asked the question, I had to stop and think for a minute. I couldn’t really say I get scared, but I definitely didn’t feel at ease on most days. You know, those days when something feels a little off but you can’t quite put your finger on it? After living through a 28-hour violent assault and abduction in 2017, I dealt with that feeling more days than I care to admit.
In the weeks following the incident, I was focused on working with law enforcement to ensure my stalker turned abductor stayed behind bars. He was held in an out of state jail and I was told that he would remain there until after trial. I had faced my worst fear and survived, yet why wasn’t I relieved? Why didn’t I feel safe? After appointments with my counselor and physician, I learned about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and sought treatment. In the bible, John 10:10 tells me, “The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy; I have come that they might have life and have it to the full”. I was not meant to live in fear and neither were you.
Since the incident began on a Tuesday, I admitted to my coworker, “Tuesdays tend to bother me.” But, if I’m being totally honest with myself, I also fight anxiety on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and every other day of the week. This website and blog are dedicated to every woman or man who survived domestic violence and strives to live each day to its fullest. Why do we try so hard? Because we were made to do more than just exist. Even on Tuesdays.
