Jan 6
False Positives, Chapter Three ~
I began this chapter over on my @happinessnoir page on Wordpress. I just saw my first Tik Tok a few months ago. I love it. I also see how it can be very addictive.
We don’t all have addictive personalities, so it’s not a problem for some people, but holy hello! It can it become an avoidant-attachment in the blink of an eye.
I intentionally changed the algorythms early so I would be more aligned with #mentalhealthawareness #OldTok (’cause seriously, I am. We are, for the website) #holistichealing #MedicalTok #TherapyTok And … why the HELL are we all talking to the whole world in hashtags … talk about a new norm.
So far, it’s addictive, informative and against all odds of getting back to nature as a holistic healing modality of living one’s life in balance. BUT, it is entertaining.
I went on a personal and professional journey to do exactly that back in 2019.
I left my to-be-expected job in 2019 ~ by 2020, we all know what happened next. By 2021, I was unpacking ALL the things I’d held a tight lid on for half a century. 50 years of pent up thoughts, feelings and life choices.
It was a lot.
It was as if my mantra, “what would you tell your younger self”, all of a sudden became the loudest voice in the room.
Learning new things (like Tik Tok and hashtags and the truth about my place on the hierarchy of what I used to do for a living) ~ all caused me to have an awakening that was as painful as an emotional rebirth.
I also just found out that, “independent researchers” have filed complaints against my Facebook pages as ‘false information’ ~ ahem, it’s because I am a domestic violence and sexual assault advocate. I share DV and advocacy information on that page.
I’ve been on Facebook for 12 years. It used to be just to connect with people. Then, I went through hell and got cyber bullied. A couple of times. Followed by intense accute PTSD as a result of surviving what I did, followed by turning my university teaching job into a health and healing job ~ working with survivors of domestic violence and assault.
Today I write, advise and stay in my own happiness bubble.
Guess who loves to follow helpers of DV and assault? Yep. You guessed it. Abusers.
They want to shut down anyone who will help survivors.
Survivors also follow along, but quietly. You won’t get “likes” because they are guarded, afraid, or staying out of the target range. Can’t blame them.
The world has hurt them enough.
It’s why I love cats so much. Cats are honest. Cats dont set out to hurt others. Cats just want to nap, eat and cuddle in comfort.
People who abuse other people and their allies (fondly known as ‘flying monkey’s by some of my favorite experts in the psychology business) LOVE to do whatever they can to go after anyone who will help a survivor and/or victim of abuse.
But I digress. MY social media isn’t going to give oxygen to the antagonists.
Learning new things means, we have to take the good with the bad. We have to find time for both learning new skills, and grieving the loss of something that used to be good in our lives.
Healing is not going to be all positive. It’s not going to be all free will and choice either.
Trauma survivors don’t have the same choices as those who do. Their mental health and sometimes, physical health, stand in their way. Social, community and cultural awareness also stand in their way.
DV abuse survivors don’t have the same life after the abuse that they had before that experience.
Life is different now. For me. For my friends and followers and survivor clients.
We are relearning how to live our best lives as new people.
There will be false starts.
2022 is on a healing journey.
It’s not the business of those who do harm. This is all about the survivors, and victims of life’s circumstances. No matter how severe or mild, it’s still something that needs attention. The pain is telling you where you need to heal.
I just posted my 1st Elephant Journal article, so please follow me there for what comes next ~
To learn more about me ~ I’m NOT orange, I’m a bad editor (owning it).
To learn more about my writing on the other side of the Happiness Tracks ~
