All posts filed under: Social Issues

#Fearless Family: My Partners Perspective of My Journey

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By Amy C. #Fearless Family Writer I don’t know about other emotional abuse survivors, but I often look at my current romantic partner – my husband to be, no less – and think, “How can you put up with me? Why do you stay with me, even when I have my wobbles? Hasn’t it been an awful chore?! Why do you stay and put yourself through that?!” It’s a scar left by living with someone who made it clear they found me tedious, boring, and stupid, and still influences my thought patterns to this day. The difference now is that I don’t let it take me down. I recognise them and do something about them, so you know what I did about these questions? I asked them. I’m not at home to repressing and hiding my questions, imagining the worst, and living with crippling doubt and self-loathing anymore. If I want to know what my love really thinks, I ask him, safe and confident in the knowledge that he will answer honestly and respectfully…and often …

#Fearless Family: You Can Love Again After Emotional Abuse

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By Amy C. #Fearless Family Writer Three years ago today, I was in hell. I’d been in a relationship for almost four and a half years, and three and a half of them had been emotionally abusive. I didn’t realise that I had been abused until it was over; sometimes we are too close to ourselves to see what we have become. I had become a grey, drab, genderless thing, constantly unwell and tired and run-down, and trying to weakly shuffle through each day as quietly and unobtrusively as possible. I was a nervous wreck, constantly hyper-vigilant, and hyper-aware that everything I said, everything I did, and sometimes literally every move I made, would be sneered at and ridiculed by the person who would then turn around and say he loved me. I was 29 years old and going to bed at 7:30 p.m. every night through sheer emotional exhaustion, and a desire to avoid my abuser’s notice. He made it clear he was happier when I was not around, anyway, and I was desperately …

Introducing: Dear Fearless…

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In an effort to keep this site new and diverse, we here at #Fearless are very excited to announce the newest addition to our weekly content: Dear Fearless… What is Dear Fearless? Simply put, it’s our version of an advice column. You, our readers, will submit questions anonymously to our advice columnist, Fearless, and then Fearless will give the best advice they can based on the information you gave them. Each week (likely Saturdays at 10:00 a.m. ET), we’ll publish a new advice column and hopefully help the world one article at a time. Once we have a couple questions lined up, we will start publishing them. We will post only when we receive requests for advice, but we hope to make this a weekly column very soon! So, if you want to submit to our new column, here’s what you need to know: All questions will be anonymous, and we suggest you use a creative pen name to sign off as so you know your question is being answered! If you can’t think of …

#Fearless Family: How Substance Abuse Affects Mental Health

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By Sonia Tagliareni of DrugRehab.com #Fearless Family Writer Mental illness and substance use disorders go hand in hand. People struggling with drug use disorders are twice as likely as the general population to struggle with mood and anxiety disorders, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that 7.9 million Americans suffered from a co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorder. People suffering from depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia and personality disorders are more likely to experience addiction, according to MentalHealth.gov. Substance use disorders and mental health disorders share similar risk factors, including: Genetic risk factors that make a person vulnerable to substance use and mental health disorders Environmental risk factors, such as stress, trauma and early exposure to drugs They also have similar traits, such as: The ability to change similar parts of the brain The ability to disrupt development, especially during early childhood People who use drugs may experience symptoms of mental illness. For example, people who abuse marijuana are at an increased risk of …

#Fearless Family: Freed From His Capture

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The following article contains content that could be triggering to those who have struggled with childhood sexual abuse, trauma or assault. By Rayven Satterfield of Mocha Mag #Fearless Family Writer It was getting late and my stomach was aching. My younger sisters nagged me to make dinner but I stayed glue to my mattress with no words. My mom was arguing with my stepfather again and I tried to stay away whenever things got heated. My stomach was rumbling also but the kitchen was by my mom’s room and I always tried to avoid conflict. My stepfather was a tough man so when he yelled it echoed the apartment walls causing anyone who passed by to hear it. I remained silent but my sisters kept asking me for food. My twin brother told me that he was also hungry so I gave in and agreed to make them a meal. I didn’t want to get caught in the crossfire, so I knew I had a small window of time. I slowly walked into the kitchen …