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Silence as an Emotion – Part II #MentalHealth #Relationships #Depression #Anxiety #Loneliness

The Weight of Silence

Silence.

It’s not just the absence of sound. It’s the absence of understanding, of connection, of release. For so many, silence is both a refuge and a prison—a double-edged sword that cuts deeper than words ever could. In Part I, I explored how silence can embody pain, anger, and isolation, and how relationships can either deepen the silence or break its hold. But there’s more to say—because silence doesn’t just exist; it builds. It shapes lives, minds, and hearts in ways we often don’t recognize until it’s too late.

Why Do We Choose Silence?

Sometimes silence is chosen out of necessity—when we’re afraid to speak up because we know the weight of our words could hurt others, or worse, be dismissed entirely. Other times, silence is imposed on us—when the people around us invalidate our feelings, brush aside our struggles, or demand that we “get over it.”

The result? We stop speaking. We stop trying. Instead, we retreat inward, believing our voices don’t matter. But silence isn’t a vacuum; it’s a container. Every unspoken word, every suppressed emotion fills it until we’re drowning in our own quiet suffering.

The Long-Term Damage of Silence

When silence becomes a way of life, it doesn’t just affect our relationships with others—it distorts our relationship with ourselves. We question our worth. We mistrust our feelings. We become numb to our own pain, convincing ourselves that silence is safer than vulnerability. But the truth is, the longer we stay silent, the harder it becomes to break free.

For Those Struggling in Silence
• To the Men and Women Alike: Silence does not make you stronger. It makes you invisible. Strength is found in facing what’s hard to say, not in avoiding it. Speak—imperfectly, angrily, nervously—just speak. Whether to a loved one, a friend, or a professional, let someone hear you. Let yourself be seen.
• To Those Who Are Listening: If someone opens up to you, listen—not to respond, but to understand. Their words may not come out perfectly, and their emotions might be messy. But don’t silence them with judgment, impatience, or dismissal. Let them feel. Let them speak. You might be their only outlet.

Breaking the Cycle in Relationships
• For Couples: Silence is the wedge that drives two people apart, even when they’re sitting right next to each other. Make communication a priority. Set aside time to check in—without distractions, without defensiveness. When you create a space where emotions are heard, not judged, you break the cycle of silence before it can take root.
• For the One Holding It All In: Your feelings matter. Your voice matters. If you’ve been made to feel like your emotions are a burden, know this: the right people will never see your vulnerability as weakness. The right people will lean in, not pull away. Find them. Trust them.

Healing from “Evil Silence”

Healing starts when you let the silence out—one word, one conversation, one step at a time. It won’t happen overnight. Years of bottling up emotions don’t disappear in a single moment of release. But with each attempt to express yourself, you take back control. You lighten the weight. You begin to heal.

Final Thoughts

Silence, as I’ve learned, is not inherently good or bad—it’s what we do with it that matters. There was a time when silence consumed me, when it left me feeling alone and unheard. But I also learned that silence can be a place of peace if you allow yourself to speak and let others in.

I’ve had a rough year this year and a lot going on.. My silence has been pretty bad the last few months. But releasing some stuff here like I used to.

If you’re still trapped in silence, know this: you don’t have to stay there. Your story, your pain, your voice—it all deserves to be heard. And if you don’t know where to start, I’m here. Always.

Quote:
“I have learned now that while those who speak about one’s miseries usually hurt, those who keep silence hurt more.”
– C.S. Lewis

#MentalHealth #silence #Healing #Relationships #Communication #Depression #Anxiety #vulnerability #Trust #selfgrowth #itsoktotalk #Hope #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #ADHD #Grief #Addiction #BipolarDisorder #GeneralizedAnxietyDisorder #Loneliness #MajorDepressiveDisorder #ObsessiveCompulsiveDisorder #CheckInWithMe #MightyTogether #Trauma #Suicide #SocialAnxiety #Selfharm #PTSD

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Letter to my Inner Child

Dear Gloria,

For 33 years, you held onto pain and walked around with open wounds that nobody knew of. Wounds of a little girl who just wanted her daddy. You looked for him in everybody, and even in the shadows.

You spent so many nights crying and wondering why people continuously hurt you. All you wanted was protection and safety, and I'm sorry that so many people have failed you.

I'm sorry you were so lonely.

You are truly so beautiful inside and out. You are deserving of happiness, and of all good things that are coming your way. Your resilience is one of a kind. One day, you will mother children who will learn so much from you and will appreciate you for being so kind, loving, and strong.

You are free now, my love. Unbind yourself. Spread your wings and let yourself fly.

Love yourself always.

Yours truly.

#TheMighty #CheckInWithMe #Forgiveness #BPD #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #Relationships #Healing #Anxiety #Bpdrecovery #MentalHealth #PTSD #PTSDSupportAndRecovery #PostTraumaticStressDisorder #Selflove

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Check-In

Hi friends, my life has been a whirlwind since I last posted on here. On my last post, I wrote about Healing Father Wounds because it finally occurred to me that a lot of the dysfunctions, miscommunication, and disagreements in my current relationship has everything to do with my father wounds, and my boyfriend's mother wounds. It brought awareness to our relationship and made me want to learn more about myself and why I behave or think the way I do. Alot of the information was taken from Chat GPT and google search, but still very informative and helpful.

I'm officially back into therapy and have had two sessions so far. I unfortunately missed one because I was bedridden due to depression, but when I communicated this to my therapist - she was very understanding. I made sure to let her know that the whole point of seeking therapy is to not focus solely on my relationship but to dig deep and confront the root of all causes as to why or how I am the way I am today. I learned that it all started from my relationship with my father, and it never really occurred to me that I have been angry at him my whole life. I used to think it was my mother that I was angry at. I realize now that I took all of my anger out on her growing up when she didn't deserve any of that. Afterall, she tried her best. Right now, I am in the beginning stages of forgiveness. For the first time in my life, I feel hopeful and ready to start healing that very part of me that has been missing for so long.

As for my relationship, both my boyfriend and I have decided to take some time to reflect and work on ourselves. He is currently on a two-week cruise for work. We talk every single day and have been practicing gratitude. I can't lie though. I miss him terribly. We are going on day 5 now, and the first 4 days have been hell. I've been crying and moping around because I miss him so much. My separation anxiety and abandonment issues get the best of me but luckily, he does the best he can to check-in with me multiple times a day. I'll keep my head up and remain strong.

Thanks for reading.

#TheMighty #CheckInWithMe #Forgiveness #BPD #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #Relationships #Healing #Anxiety #Bpdrecovery #MentalHealth #PTSD #PTSDSupportAndRecovery #PostTraumaticStressDisorder

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Daily Videos to smash the stigma – Follow My 31-Day Challenge

Hey!

I used to suffer from social anxiety. I don't anymore, as I've been actively working on healing from it the past couple of years through seeking professional help as well as my developing my own healing practice.

Unfortunately there is still a stigma against mental health, which often prevents people from seeking help which could massively benefit them - as was the case with me.

That's why I've decided to start a 31 day mental health challenge, where every year for the month December (2024), I'm posting daily videos about my mental health journey, in order to 1) raise awareness for mental health, and 2) do my part in debunking the stigma against mental health.

In my challenge I will share with you everything about what it is that I've experienced - from struggling with anxiety and feeling depressed, hitting rock bottom, seeking help, and ultimately starting my healing journey.

I joined The Mighty to share my challenge for you, in the hope that someone might benefit from following along!

Look for me on Instagram: @itsedwardarthur

#EndTheStigma #Anxiety #Depression #Healing

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Help

Why is it that as someone struggling immensely with PTSD and BPD do I find myself always trying to heal others instead of myself? The partners I choose tend to always overshadow my needs, and I always feel neglected & alone.

I am fighting to survive at this point.

Somebody please tell me I'm not alone.

#TheMighty #CheckInWithMe #Forgiveness #BPD #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #Relationships #Healing #Anxiety #Bpdrecovery #MentalHealth #PTSD #PTSDSupportAndRecovery #PostTraumaticStressDisorder

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Check-In

Hi friends, I hope everyone is doing well. It has been several weeks since I wrote a post here on The Mighty. My last check-in was 3 weeks ago, and it was before I left to Arizona to celebrate my one-year anniversary with my boyfriend.

Since then, I haven't been doing well mentally so please pray for me. I don't want to go into too many details. However, I'll confess that I have crashed out several times. It got so bad that I injured my right arm from punching the kitchen counter. I've been experiencing chronic pains in my chest and constant migraines. I'm recognizing that I am spiraling, and something definitely needs to change.

On the brighter side, I am finally back in therapy. Interestingly enough, I was diagnosed with PTSD & so I've been researching more about that. If you have any advice to destress and decompress, don't hesitate to share.

I'm going to end it here. I'll write soon.

#TheMighty #CheckInWithMe #Forgiveness #BPD #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #Relationships #Healing #Anxiety #Bpdrecovery #MentalHealth #PTSD #PTSDSupportAndRecovery #PostTraumaticStressDisorder

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I'm new here!

Hi, my name is Ramone. I'm here because I struggle with loneliness, anxiety and depression at times. I dont have friends, and I recently found out that I'm neurodiverse. I hope this platforms helps and hope that I can help too.
#MightyTogether #Anxiety #Depression #Loneliness #selfcare #Healing

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BPD Check-in

It has been a month since I joined The Mighty and nearly a week since I wrote my first post: Fragments of Me: A Personal Story About My Life with Borderline Personality Disorder.

Today I feel the sudden need to check-in. I plan to do this more often so I can mark my progress and record my thoughts. All of this is to ease my mind and to lessen the burden on the people around me. I've been told that I can be overwhelming because of my constant need to overshare and my inability to let things go. It hurts to hear that, but to be fair, I'd rather people be honest than to lie to me, so I'll take it in with a grain of salt.

I'm relieved to have found a community with individuals that are going through something similar or who are willing to learn more about their loved ones suffering with mental health disorders such as mine. However, I'm still struggling to find balance in my everyday life & I've been finding myself extremely insecure and anxious as of lately.

Alot of it has to do with the fact that next week my boyfriend and I are reaching our one year. We have been fighting intensely for the last few months due to my insecurities and distrust for things that happened early on in our relationship. It reached a point where we started questioning if we should continue on because we were making each other miserable. Definitely not an ideal start to our one year especially when we have a trip planned solely dedicated to celebrating that milestone in our relationship.

The question I have is: As a borderline, how do I forgive and let the past be the past?

#TheMighty #CheckInWithMe #Forgiveness #BPD #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #Relationships #Healing #Anxiety #Bpdrecovery #MentalHealth

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New relationships

#MentalHealth #Relationships #NarcissisticPersonalityDisorder #Divorce #Healing
I am 3 months post divorce from a 26 year marriage with a narcissist. I am still healing and trying to find out who I am. On Sept 29th an old friend dialed me by mistake. We have known each other for 10 years but lost track of each other. So I answered the call and to find that he is single now and so am I. He asked me out for coffee and I said yes! We have been by each others side now for the last 2 months.
This is not what I intended for me. I thought I would be single and healing. I almost said no to him. He is super nice and caring, empathetic, and understanding. I have never been in a relationship like this before.
So why am I am trying to self sabotage this relationship? I don't get it. I went into this relationship with what I don't want in a relationship and I forgot what I wanted. Instead of accepting what this guy is offering me I try to fight it. Find something wrong with him so I can end things. I really had to do some research on myself to find the truth in this.
Today, I am still a work in progress. I am allowing him to be in my life and show me what love is like. He is showing me what healthy boundaries are and how to have a voice. He is allowing me to go as slow as I need to and he accepts when I get scared of how I feel towards him.
There was no coincidence that he misdialed me. That was just pure fate. He is iny life for a reason and I am learning from him how to be a better person myself.
I believe it was meant to be and today I will allow myself to feel my feelings and be scared and nervous because he is not out to hurt me, he is out the heal me!

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What Healing From C-PTSD Looks Like

Imagine you’ve been in a car accident and broken your leg. Some days, the mountain in front of you is too steep, your wounds too fresh, so you don’t even try the climb. Other days, you start, only to realize you haven’t healed enough and have to stop. And then, on some days, you do it. Now imagine this is not a linear progression. This is the nature of healing.

In my case, I didn’t break a leg—I endured severe childhood trauma. Some days I can climb the mountain, and other times I can’t. So, what does climbing the mountain mean? What does healing mean? I like this quote: “To heal is to touch with love that which we once touched with fear.” For me, that means seeing the parts of myself that I once viewed with shame and fear through a lens of love. I won’t delve into the specifics of my trauma today, though I have before. I’m not ready for that mountain.

For what felt like an eternity, I suffered. But three years ago, I began healing. I learned why I felt the way I did and how to manage it. I moved away from home and built a small life for myself in a new city. I went from having things happen to me to making things happen. Friendships, job opportunities, and the pursuit of meaning became my focus. I felt like I could face the mountains of life with little difficulty.

In that time, I also realized I wanted to be a therapist. Of all the jobs I’ve considered, none resonated with me like this one. I want to help kids avoid the pain I went through. It’s my calling.

For a while, I believed I had healed. I still feel shame and anxiety, and I still suffer from Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. But I thought the bulk of the work was done—I had conquered my mountains.

Earlier this year, I had a profound experience while consuming weed. I took an edible, got comfortable, and prepared to enjoy the high. Instead, I found myself reflecting on my mental health and the progress I’d made. Suddenly, I was overwhelmed. I began to cry as pieces of myself that had been floating around in my mind clicked into place. I grieved the childhood I never got to have, the peace and security I was denied. But I also felt joy, like an ocean compared to a puddle of happiness. I saw myself as someone who had survived enormous adversity and come out stronger.

It was transformative and cemented the idea that I was healed. So, what happened a few weeks ago was disturbing.

I’ve recently made a new friend, and one night, after sharing several bowls of weed, we exchanged our trauma stories. Despite our differences, our wounds shared many similarities. I opened up about my most shameful experiences, and she told me hers. What I heard unsettled me in ways I hadn’t expected.

The next day, I woke up feeling off. Within an hour, I was having a full-blown meltdown—crying, shaking, and terrified. My coping strategies were useless. I didn’t even know why I was distressed. I felt like the rug of my healthier life had been ripped out from under me.

I’ve discussed this with my therapist, and there are a few theories. It might have been an emotional release from sharing my trauma, or maybe my friend’s story unsettled me more than I realized. Perhaps it’s because I’ve participated in some of the systems that hurt my friend. I’ll likely never know.

But the experience shook me. I had thought I was okay—more than okay. And yet, this happened. It made me feel foolish for believing I had healed. Still, when I look back at who I was versus who I am now, the progress is undeniable. The suffering I endured just three years ago has mostly evaporated. Of course, there will always be consequences of my trauma, but I feel like I’ve dealt with the majority of them.

So, was I a fool to think I had healed? I don’t think so. That moment taught me that the battle for my sanity is over. I know who I am now, better than ever before. I take pride in the fact that my therapist says I have a “borderline gifted” level of self-insight. My anguish and anxiety are under control, but there’s still more work to do.

You see, my friend unsettles me—not because of her past, but her present. She sings in the shower, passionately expresses herself, and isn’t ashamed to like what she likes. She embodies the freedom I want—the ability to live without shame. I realize now that I’m still battling the shame of being myself. Like a flare on the battlefield, my friend has illuminated my next enemy.

It seems I have another mountain to climb. Perhaps this is the value of my latest friendship—maybe she will show me how.

#Trauma #PTSD #Healing

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