DIARY OF A FLOPPING FISH

Often our abusers keep us under their thumbs, not by action, but by the threat of action. When those abusers are ingrained as a part of a larger system, such as work or family, it makes it even harder to speak out against them or against the system.

For many of us, the subject of family is a loaded one. I’m sure I’m not the only one whose blood family is large and diverse, and not everyone in a large family gets along. It’s fine not to get along with everyone, but it is dangerous to think you still have to associate with everyone regardless of how they treat you or what it costs to be “loyal.”

The difficulty of setting boundaries goes beyond the need to please others. It affects people from all walks of life, including those in addiction recovery, those re-entering society after incarceration, and survivors of toxic relationships.

How I went from burnout and CPTSD to graduating college online with high honors — and what I learned along the way.