10/08/2026
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and there are facts we all need to understand about this. Survivors of Domestic Violence aren't weak because they stay. They are not stupid because they sometimes go back. And they certainly don't stay because they "like it".
Abuse doesn't always start with someone putting their hand on you. It can be emotional, verbal, psychological, financial, sexual, physical, or threatening. It can be isolation, manipulation and control. And it usually builds slowly enough that you don't recognize how far things have gone until you're already living in it.
You remember when things were good. You remember who that person was in the beginning. You convince yourself that if you change something, stop doing something that 'triggers' them, or try just a little harder, maybe things will go back to the way they were.
Then things get better for awhile. There are apologies. Promises. Hope.
Until the cycle starts again.
So if someone you love is living through domestic violence, don't judge them. Don't ask why they stayed or why they went back.
Listen. Believe Them. Educate yourself about the cycle of abuse and support them until they're ready to find their way out.
And if you are the person reading this who is living it right now, please know you are not alone. There are people and resources who care.
You can learn to live your life on the other side. Kudos to the women and men who have walked away from a toxic relationship and found contentment and happiness on the other side.
