Today, I had to take a moment to ask my sisters if they have any tools in their toolboxes that can assist me with my grieving. I am feeling flat and beaten down by the indirect pain and suffering of women and children around the world. By the daily killing of women. Common symptoms of grief..
Women are killed every day in this country and throughout the globe. Yes, vicarious trauma is real! Vicarious trauma in this context is the emotional residue of the horrific stories of the killing and abuse of women and children.
While the cases of domestic violence continue to rise like the COVID pandemic, I began to feel drained and overburdened by the daily news and reports of family violence. I had to look at other innovative and creative ways to stay well and to maintain the strength to continue to do the sacred work of supporting women and children who are survivors of family violence. Media continued to report daily losses of women due to this pandemic of family violence.
I diligently continued to self-care by finding healthy outlets for my indirect pain caused by such reports. I regularly take the hour-long sessions with a trained clinical specialist. I hike, dance, sing, meditate , swim, ski, run, write, deep breathe, sweat , song-write and lots more as a way to self heal from this vicarious trauma that stems from knowing about inflicted on women and children locally, nationally and globally. Yet, I continued to feel tired and angry about the reality of the ongoing suffering of women and girls. I wondered about other individuals who experience these reporting the way I do.
Yes, I am a sponge and each day I get the reports that another woman is killed or violently violated, I absorbed some of that suffering. The way every other human being experiences the news.
Somehow, in the last year or so there seems to be an increase in the murder cases reported. Canada’s Assaulted Women’s Helpline reported 20,334 calls between September 1st to December 31st, 2020 compared to 12,352 over same period 2019.{Canadian Press, Feb.15th, 2021.)
Now, this is the question to my readers:
What else can I do to stay well and achieve longevity and higher quality life after absorbing the fragments of the pain of abused women and children?
How are you all coping with the reality of what is going on in the lives of our sisters in this big wide world of violence?
Let’s talk!