I left an abusive marriage in early 2015. It was the hardest and most important thing I’ve ever done.
And the two years after that? I struggled. I was in and out of my mom’s house. I racked up credit card debt just trying to survive. I struggled with the depression, anxiety, and everything else that comes with attempting to put your life back together from broken pieces that never really fit anyway.
It’s difficult to describe the levels of loneliness that come with being ostracized after divorce, the frustration of knowing you’re in recovery and bouncing back and forth and trying to do the best you can with limited options and never enough money. Showing up in support groups, leaning on the people who haven’t pushed you away and hope that they don’t, and that someday, you all might just see the other side of this.
It’s 2021, and even though it took years to get here, I’m finally doing alright. Better than alright. After years of being told I was irrevocably broken and wrong so often that I almost believed it, I’m in a healthy partnership. I’ve built a life and career I love. My credit is beginning to recover, and I’m finally almost out of the debt that I accumulated (if you don’t count my student loans).
Getting out from under all of the pressure of financial instability has given me the ability to grow and…
