How many of us have experienced the slander of wagging tongues and character assassination by others? Have no fear. What others occupy their minds with is deflection, usually a self-justification shining on a light on your life while never mentioning the same shadows of their own.
Their own lack of character tells on them. Still, have no fear.
Stand on your truth, which you do not need to explain to anyone, especially those who seek to tear you down mentally, emotionally, physically, and most ironically, spiritually.
One woman gave me permission to share her story. She told me that she was considered to be a pillar within her church, but when she got divorced, she felt like the entire church not only turned their backs on her but set her up as an example of a life not to be emulated. When she did reconnect with her former neighbors, she was told that the pastor negatively used her specifically from the pulpit, making the rest of the congregation get much closer.
She said she never confided about her personal business to her church friends, clergy, nor her neighbors at the time she was struggling with feeling neglected. She did confide in her primary care doctor since she was beginning to feel traumatized and taken for granted. The stress of trying to be all things to all people with incredible time constraints left her with severe anxiety attacks. She went home with a prescription to help calm her nerves.
This only treated the symptoms and did not deal with the problem.
When she came to me, she said she stopped taking the prescribed drugs and wanted to try a more holistic approach. That prescription her doctor gave her took all her feelings away. She was calm, but like a zombie with no joy.
She said she felt as if she was about to repeat her mother’s life of using drugs and alcohol to self-medicate her problems away. She decided that coming to me would help her to find her authentic self.
I am happy to say this client is now living a successful and fulfilling life out of the gaze and judgment of not only her entire past congregation, but that entire small town, since it was said that everyone knew everyone else, and thought they knew what was going on.
She allowed me to use her story, with her permission, in the hopes that it might also help others who feel constricted in the same way she did.
Namaste