Celebrate with Us! Beauty from Ashes has joined Survivors Blog Here

I’m overjoyed to announce that Beauty from Ashes has joined Survivors Blog Here. Tiffany has been thru the extreme trauma of Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence and is rebuilding her life. She’s a survivor, strong to the core, wants to help others, and is very nice. We’ve been following each other and talking often, she has taught me so much which makes her an excellent Contributor.

Who is Survivors Blog Here?

We support men and women Survivors from every walk of life. Struggles with Trauma, Violence, Mental Illness, Child Abuse, Chronic Illness, and more. We’re here for you.

Our writers offer an interesting perspective, humor, and a wealth of knowledge through personal experiences. Each writer has their own blog, be sure to stop by their individual sites. Your questions and comments are important to us, and you’ll get honest feedback. Everyone is important.

Please stop by and say hello. You can find Tiffany by using the pull-down called Contributors, then click on Beauty from Ashes. On the page, you will find a direct link to her blog for additional reading.

Melinda

 

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Help Us Celebrate Our 8th Anniversary

In 2014 an idea was hatched to create a site that would allow everyone to share their story in a safe environment and Survivors Blog Here was born. Now it’s 2022, it’s hard to put into words what the past eight years have meant to me and the contributors of Survivors Blog Here. We have been able to share our stories of trauma and survival and meet so many other survivors along the way. Your stories were heard and we thank you for sharing them with us.

Our Mission Statement

We support men and women Survivors from every walk of life. Struggles with Trauma, Violence, Mental Illness, Child Abuse, Chronic Illness, and more. We’re here for you.

Providing support as you work towards healing, taking steps forward, moving beyond the pain and struggle. We’re a collaborative of like-minded writers and photographers with a mission: to offer a creative, honest, and safe place to gather. We offer support from a team of Survivors with diverse backgrounds, we believe everyone has a story to tell.

 

I asked the co-founder Army of Angles about her experience with Survivors Blog Here.

Happy Anniversary, Survivors!  I can’t believe eight years have gone by, in what feels like both the blink of an eye and an eternity. It seems like a lifetime ago when I started my journey of escaping and recovering from domestic abuse.  I remember many nights when Melinda took the time to chat with me through a blog and helped me to see that there were people who truly cared about others.  Over time, we decided to join together in our efforts to provide a safe place for others to blog openly about their battles which put them into the category of “Survivor”.
To all of our Survivor friends, Happy Blogoversary!

Here’s what a two of our contributors had to say about their experience with Survivors Blog Here

Don’t Lose Hope

“It’s been an honour to be a contributor to Survivors Blog. When we go through something traumatic it can be very isolating and lonely. Survivors Blog is a place you can go to feel supported. To feel there are others who truly understand – because they’ve gone through something similar to you. For some people, this may be the only lifeline they have. Friends and family may not really empathize – but there are those at Survivor’s Blog who do. And that can make all the difference in the world.”

Walking the Rails

In my experience, the ability to tell our stories to a non-judgmental audience can be a critical form of therapy. While I have been sporadic in my postings, I recognize the value of this effort and appreciate it being there for me when I need it.

I would also like to introduce our newest member, Bipolar: A Way of Life to the Survivors group. She was diagnosed with Bipolar and BPD, and has been managing these illnesses for the past 30 years. She is a new blogger and has a lot to offer the group. She’s also into personal growth so I’m sure she will be following you so you can share the journey together. Please see her About Me page, it’s on the pull-down menu under Contributors.

We’re proud of all our respected Contributors: Chronic Pain with a Higher Perspective, Sedge808, Robert M. Goldstein, Survivor Road, Surviving the Specter, Positively Alyssa, A Patients Voice, Owning It, Don’t Lose Hope, Walking the Rails, and Bipolar: A Way of Life.

I can’t thank you enough for being a part of our story, our journey. I hope you will continue to walk with us as we turn the pages on our life. You can contact me anytime by leaving a comment on this post or our About Us page.

Melinda

Looking for the Light

@lookinglight

Introducing Lin Health, A New Way Forward In Pain Management —

I’m excited to introduce you to Lin Health. They are a Pain Management platform like no other. This is not your average app, Lin Health offers you one-on-one support with a trained Health Coach who you talk with on a regular basis. She is intimately familiar with your health and medical background thru their support […]

Introducing Lin Health, A New Way Forward In Pain Management —

Born in 2014 Survivors Blog Here is going strong for you.

I chose this photo because when I think of the type of environment we wanted to create at Survivors Blog Here, it’s an embrace. Embracing who you are, where you are, embracing you as you take steps forward and the occasional step back.

Photo by fauxels on Pexels.com

Survivors Blog Here was created by three friendly bloggers, Army of Angles, Hyperion and myself, Looking for the Light. We had our own baggage and had been there for each other thru some difficult times. We wanted to take our collective knowledge to help others. Survivors Blog Here was the first name that came to mind and we were born in that early morning hour.

This is part of our Mission Statement if you will.

We support men and women Survivors from every walk of life. Struggles with Trauma, Violence, Mental Illness, Child Abuse, Chronic Illness, and more. We’re here for you.

Providing support as you work towards healing, taking steps forward, moving beyond the pain and struggle. We’re a collaborative of like-minded writers and photographers with a mission: to offer a creative, honest and safe place to gather. We offer support from a team of Survivors with diverse backgrounds, we believe everyone has a story to tell.

Our writers offer an interesting perspective, humor and wealth of knowledge through personal experiences. Each writer has their own blog, be sure to stop by their individual sites. Your questions and comments are important to us, you’ll get honest feedback even when it’s not want you want to hear. Everyone is important.

Photo by Marlon Martinez on Pexels.com

One of the keys to success at Survivors Blog Here was having other great contributors join the group and add their story, we all have one, sometimes ugly but all worth telling. We have a great team of contributors who have come and gone over the years but their legacy last in our archives. There is a wealth of knowledge of every imageable subject in our archives, be sure to search thru them for a gem you might be needing.

The Pandemic has been hard of many of the contributors who were having their own struggles before the most difficult times hit. Many contributors you haven’t seen in a long time, I miss them too. I’m confident our trusted contributors will return once life is less stressful and they are feeling more creative.

I want to thank the Contributors who have soldered on thru these difficult times to continue with informative, helpful post and to be there for everyone who needs their support. I truly appreciate your commitment.

Survivors Blog Here like all blogs has evolved like each of us do and I would love to hear from you on what you would like to see from us as we move forward. That’s been a key saying for us, Keep Moving Forward, let’s move forward together. I need you input.

What topics, deep conversations do you want us to have?

Most importantly what do you want from me? I’m the only active founder and don’t feel like I’ve been in touch with what you need from Survivors Blog Here recently.

I want all your comments, the good, bad, and the ugly. I want to know what you feel is missing in the blogging community and how do you think we can fill that need. I continue with our original mission but we are evolving and will add to our mission as we grow.

Melinda

Felix Felicis

Originally posted on Journey Into A on March 20, 2018.

I believe an update is warranted since I’ve made all these life changes…

It honestly feels like I have taken felix felicis, aka liquid luck (for all you non-Potterheads out there). It feels like every single move and decision and thought I make is the right one preparing me for the future I so wish to have. It’s incredible.

I haven’t felt this type of motivation in years. Solely because I had no idea what the hell I was doing or what the hell I wanted. Now, though, each day is it’s own step toward a greater goal. I am first and foremost bettering myself as a human. I’m changing the way I think and how things make me feel. I’m changing how I react to things and the way I talk about things.

Read the last 109 words here.

Instagram

Hey there everyone!

Another change has happened within the last few weeks… I post a positive message (image) to my Instagram account every day! It’s typically a message that I will take with me through my day and I hope that seeing it helps others during their day. Check it out here!

img_9773

Meditate It Away

Originally posted on Journey Into A on March 13, 2018.

I was having a really rough day just over a month ago and I asked my best friend for some help. She had a bunch of positive affirmations and I needed some. She also told me about a meditation app. That meditation app has been my daily helper ever since I downloaded it!

The app is called Simple Habit. There are 5/10/15 minute meditations available with a ton of topics! I do it everyday before I leave the house. It clears out all my anxiety and any depression I may be feeling. It’s got options for if you’re having a rough day or starting something new or just going to start your day, etc.

Within the first few days, I noticed a change within my self and mind. From the teachings I’d meditated along with, I could just let my thoughts be instead of letting them get inside me and fester. I felt stronger just breathing and being at peace. I had much more appreciation for myself and my life.

Read the last 143 words here.

Pain & Headaches Galore!

weekend1I hope y’all have had a great week and you are looking forward to a beautiful weekend! I have been a little absent for the past few days because I have been dealing with terrible headaches and pain. All these headaches and pain have caused me a lot of nausea and an inability to keep food down. This is the third day of these issues, but I am finally able to keep food down, well so far!

I think the most obnoxious question when I am suffering from a headache or pain is, “What do you think is causing this?” If I knew what was causing my headaches, I promise I would do anything to make them go away. The only thing I can say that helps my headaches is an ice pack and a dark quiet room. It sounds so crazy that I will use a heating pad for my back pain and an ice pack for my headaches, but it works for the most part. I know when people ask the question, “What do you think is causing this?”, they are trying to help and they mean well, but I am unfortunately never going to know what causes my headaches or pain, it is just the way things happen.

I do know that stress and weather can add to the headaches and pain. I do suffer from sinus-pressure-314x225sinus issues, but I take sinus medicine for that, it just does not seem to work as well as I would like it to. As for weather, it has been all over the place lately! It is February for God sakes and in the 80’s which is causing trees and flowers to bloom adding to the sinus troubles. It seems like we completely skipped over winter this year and just went straight from fall to spring. There was a few weeks that could be considered winter, but it came and went so fast it was hardly noticed. I mean, my body does not adjust well to temperature changes so I did notice it some. During the few weeks that were considered winter temperatures were low in the 30’s, but as soon as I adjusted to those temperatures it spiked back to the 60’s. There were days with low temperatures and then the next day would be much higher. How in the world can anyone be expected to adjust to the weather when it is constantly changing?

This is a bad time for me to be going through all these headaches and additional pain because my poor husband is dealing with some terrible tooth pain. I can not expect for him to take care of me right now when he is suffering so horribly, but he has been doing a pretty good job! Despite the pain he is going through, he is constantly making sure I have everything I need to be comfortable. We work pretty well together because we both understand pain and headaches way too much!

every-day-may-not-be-good-but-theres-something-good-in-every-day-8I can only hope that my pain and headaches will start to ease up soon so I can actually function right! I have not been able to work for the past three days because of all this, which is causing me even more stress as they are all unpaid days! After resting for the past few days and having the weekend, maybe things will improve and be much better next week. This is just an issue some of us run into and it is so important to just keep trying and hoping for better days ahead!

I hope y’all have a great weekend and enjoy every moment of it! Y’all know I love to see your comments and I do always respond to them as quickly as I can! Remember to always try to stay positive in life because no matter what is going on, there will be good days ahead! Also, I did a guest blog for a fantastic person this week. If you have not already been able to visit Grace’s blog, please check it out because she is pretty fantastic and you will also be able to see the post I did for the newly diagnosed. Her site is,  https://msgracefulnot.com/. Sending you lots of love and comfort!!

Love 2

Always, Alyssa

Gloomy Foggy Start!

foggyThis morning was so incredibly foggy, I could not even see a few inches in front of me. There is something a little eerie when you wake up to a thick layer of fog outside your window. Driving to work in this massive fog was a little scary, only because not everyone drives with the right amount of caution. In additional to the towering fog, there was an intense threat of rain! Rain and dreary weather adds even more pain to what I have already been dealing with.

The weather has been so crazy lately! It was not too many weeks ago when it was cold and there were minor threats of snow, but honestly snow in the south are only an inch or so! Now, it has been rainy and highs in the 70’s. It sounds so insane to me for temperatures to be in the 70’s in February, but I am really not complaining at all. I just wish the rain would stop and allow the sun to shine through! We all could use the high painbenefits of pure and natural Vitamin D!

I know that it is the changes in temperatures that has caused my pain to sky-rocket once again. I am doing my best to not allow it to get me down because I know there will be a day where my pain is a little more tolerable, it just is not today. I always try to remain hopeful for a better tomorrow though because I really do think it is important to hold onto positive thoughts. I mean, seriously what good will negative thoughts really provide in the big picture?

Life is a struggle, but it is how we choose to cope with the issues that can make a huge difference in the outcome overall! No matter how much pain I am in or how hard it is for me to LIFE-IS-LIKE-A-GAME-OF-CARDS--WE-DONT-CHOOSE-WHAT-WE-ARE-DEmake it through the day, I do know that things could always be so much worse. It almost feels that life is like a game of cards. You will some days get dealt a great hand that is just easy to play, but other days the cards we are dealt are all horrible and hard to continue to play the game. The most important thing is to never fold because what you are holding in your hand may turn into something wonderful on another day! I use these analogy because it seems to fit, but the funny thing is I do not even play cards!

I hope y’all had a great day and you are feeling well! I appreciate you taking the time to visit my site today and of course leaving me some great comments! I will respond to all of your comments as quickly as I possibly can! Oh and before I forget, I am SO excited because I am doing a guest blog tomorrow for one of my fabulous fellow bloggers. If you have not already seen Grace’s blog, her site is https://msgracefulnot.com/, she is truly amazing! I really do feel honored that she would want me to make a guest appearance on her blog! Sending y’all lots of love and comfort, always!

Love 2

 

Always, Alyssa

 

 

 

 

 

 

Survivors Blog Here Celebrates the Joining of Three New Contributors

Come celebrate with Survivors Blog Here, three new Contributors have joined the Community. Here’s a snap shot: Alexandra from Journey into A, Brian from Owning It Log and Mackenzie from Living with an Illness.

Stop in to say hello and read their current post, each have personal sites, no doubt you’ll want to follow them.

Alexandra’s at http://www.JourneyToA@wordpress.com. I hope to bring other’s along with me on my journey as well as help and inspire. A large theme is dealing with major depression and general anxiety disorder. I hope you enjoy and stay along for the journey!

Brian at http://www.owningitlog@wordpress.com is the core of strength and inspiration. He offers great wisdom and honestly from past experiences with an open heart. He is a Survivor to the core.

Mackenzie at http://www.LivingWithAnIllness@wordpress.com. Her profile shares a snap shot of her get-it-done-life-is-good-attitude. She was diagnosed with Auto-Immune Diseases Scleroderma, Celiac Disesase, Fibromyalgia, EDS and POTS.

I include this video for others to see the strength it takes everyday to survive. Surviving is not a one day task, they are life long challenges.

To Alexandra, Brian, Mackenzie WELCOME to Survivors Blog Here.  xo M

 

I Thought of You | [POETRY]

With this month being Suicide Prevention/Awareness Month, I am reblogging my posts and poetry that deal specifically with suicide, as well as those things that often result in suicide such as (but NOT limited to) depression, bullying, etc.

This is a poem I wrote after I read a blogger’s post about wanting to die. Please share it with someone you are thinking of that is dealing with this RIGHT NOW.

Poetry_i_thought_of_you_001

I saw you THOUGHT of suicide,

I saw you wish you died.

Your loneliness and brokenness,

Were all you had inside.

The noose, the pills, the razors,

Sing songs OF sweet respite.

I know my friend, I’ve been there,

I tried too, to end my life.

So hope I send my warrior,

My majestic, fighting friend.

You will not give up that easily,

You’ll fight it to the end.

When life, and friends, and family,

Jeer and taunt YOU to the last.

Hang onto life you solid rock,

Someone needs you now, not in their past.

suicide prevention/awareness month banner

suicide prevention lifeline 1-800-273-8255