Trauma.
Some people have a small carry on… others have a checked bag.. and yet others, like me, have a UHaul to load the baggage. That’s ok!
Here it is, a Friday morning, and I am on my way to work. I’m excited for today as I’m only working a couple hours. The night sky is dark- lit up only by the glow of the stars and the full moon. The world is quiet. My drive to work gets me out of the city, away from the noise and chaos and out onto the country roads. There’s something magical about this morning drive…something about it leaves my soul feeling free to be authentically accepted.
I am listening to Staind’s newest album ‘Confessions of the Fallen’. As I’m listening to the song ‘in this condition’ I turn the speakers up and blast out the lyrics. This FEELS good! But then I feel a shift…I realize I am intensely yearning for Allan’s voice and steadiness.…then I observe more feelings popping up.
There is something so uniquely special about Staind's new album. Almost every song moves me. The first time I heard this album I wasn’t really moved by it. Since there were a couple songs that I liked, I kept listening. Now, it’s the only album I listen to and I keep it on repeat. I'm clearly obsessed. lol
FEAR- I am overwhelmed with the sensation of restriction and tightness I begin to feel. I notice my breathing becoming very shallow and my eyes welling up with tears. Within moments I can no longer sing along to the lyrics. Tears streaming from my eyes… it becomes hard to see. I debate if I need to pull over.
Get it together….whatever this is… it WILL be ok. Take a breath. ….no not like that, take a slow and purposeful breathe. Allow the air to fill your lungs and replenish your body. Yea, just allow yourself to feel.
Ahhhh, I can feel myself start to soften, but the tears don’t let up. So, I let them fall. I let them saturate my face and find their way down to my shirt. I don’t try to force anything, but just stay focused on my breath.
Today my trigger of unworth is resurfacing. What I’ve yet to realize in the moment is that this time I’m ready…
You throw your stones and I soak up the messages of unworth.
I simply am not enough…
This message is hidden somewhere in the vault of my subconscious and it finds its way to the surface from time to time. Today is one of those days.
Where does this come from?
I had parents and siblings who genuinely cared and loved me! Somewhere along the lines the world was cruel. I still feel the pain.
If you know me, you know music is my therapy! I have recently discovered that I am a lyrics girl. One of the very first things I fall in love with and notice about a song is the ‘words’. As long as I can remember, I have had a hard time expressing my thoughts and feelings. I struggle with finding the ‘words’. Often times this leaves me with silence. Music bridges this gap for me…it helps me put words to how I’m feeling.
In Shinedown's song Daylight released in 2022 on the album 'Planet Zero' are the words:
"it's amazing what the hard times reveal
like who shows up, who walks away, and who’s for real."
I remember the first time I heard these lyrics in concert- The words brought me to tears. Tears of gratitude for those who continue to stick by me and some sadness for the ones I’ve lost along the way.
I was recently prompted to explain what the words mean to me. While I knew that there was something deep under the surface, I just couldn't place what it was. Never have I ever felt the truth behind those lyrics as I do today…
I have trauma from being bullied and abandoned…it still pains me to this day. My inner child is always searching for acceptance and belonging. "Why was I not enough?" I would think. Where were my people? I felt alone most of my childhood…
…I didn’t share my struggles. I kept them inside and tried to manage alone. I felt alone because I didn't give people an opportunity to show up.
I’m different today. Today when the hard times come, as I know they will, I see that I have new evidence. I AM enough for the right people!! I am loved unconditionally despite my human tendencies… by the RIGHT people. I just had to find them. That I did.
I think I see what was behind the urgency I felt to connect with Allan. I mean of course I MISS him like crazy, but this felt different. Deep within the Amanda vault, my subconscious knew the breakdown was coming. Allan is my often go-to for support, unconditional love and strength. My body knows how to care for me!
In a previous post I mentioned sifting through the ashes to find the Ruby. Dig through those ashes…what is being discovered?
As a child I was abandoned by people that I genuinely cared for and loved. When times got hard, some walked away. The pain of rejection and unworth this left me feeling has beaten me down for SO many years. Why wasn’t I enough?
I am terrified to open the door to what I’m feeling… so I slowly crack it.
I have decided to stand up to bullies in my present life. This triggers emotions from my past...
Keep digging girl…
As a youth I was bullied- both privately and publicly, and I allowed it. Ouch. I ALLOWED it…I never told anyone and I chose to walk through it alone. I withdrew and isolated.
Keep going…
I felt lonely and afraid
I did not have the tools to cope with what the world was handing me. I struggled in silence.
While I can’t understand the reasons for these experiences, I do know that God does. He has and always will be on my side. I don’t need to hold onto this anymore. I can let it go.
As I keep sifting I can see the glimmer of the ruby…
I SEE the people who showed up, I see the people who were real. I SEE them!
I am NOT that same girl…I have the tools now to handle this. To rise up and fight for myself. I am a warrior! My story has a purpose to help others find strength in the darkness. I am and always have been enough!
This year God has shown me how MANY people are in my circle. This year God has shown me how to be in MY own circle. I have everything I need. I am OK!