Why Are Women Expected to Compromise Their Safety?
Mistreatment can teach us the wrong lessons. It can teach women to question our instincts, ignore our discomfort, and mistake surrendering our boundaries for kindness, fairness, or compassion.
For example, a woman may say, "I [...]
I Donât Have to Explain the Boundaries That Keep Me Safe
SurvivorAffirmations.com | Inspired by WeSurviveAbuse.com
Youâve explained enough.
Why you stayed. Why you left.Why you didnât speak sooner. Why you did.Why you flinched. Why you disappeared. Why you blocked them.
Now they wa [...]
Are You Still Protecting People Who Never Protected You? 5 Powerful Questions to Break the Cycle
These affirmations are written with tenderness, truth, and a deep honoring of those who carry the ache of being raised by parents who did not do their bestânot because they couldnât, but because they wouldnât. These are for the [...]

Grief Comes Back Again and Again. So Can Love.
How remembrance, music, and personal tributes can help us live with loss
There is something especially beautiful about the hip-hop classic They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.) by Pete Rock & CL Smooth. Released in 1992, the [...]
Inspired by Gil Scott-Heron: 10 Affirmations on Deserving Respect for Survivors
Gil Scott-Heron: A Man Who Understood That Respect Begins With Recognizing Humanity
Gil Scott-Heron (1949â2011) was an American poet, musician, author, and social commentator who understood that respect was about far more than [...]

Behind the Wall by Tracy Chapman: When a Woman’s Cries for Help Are Heard, but Help Never Comes
Some songs stay with us because they are beautiful. Others stay with us because they tell a truth that society has spent generations trying not to hear.
In 1988, Tracy Chapman released a song called âBehind the Wallâ on her s [...]

Before âI Am Womanâ Became an Anthem, Women Were Fighting to Be Heard: The Story Behind Helen Reddy’s Song
The history behind Helen Reddy's 1972 anthem, the rights women were fighting for, and what her story can teach Survivors about independence, solidarity, and finding their voices.
In 1972, Australian singer Helen Reddy release [...]
Who Did You Have to Become to Survive? A Gentle Introduction to Jungian Self-Reflection for Survivors
Exploring the parts of ourselves we learned to hide, the roles we learned to play, and the freedom to discover who we are today.
Sometimes we become so accustomed to being a certain kind of person that we forget we had other [...]
đ Black Sitcom Halloween Episodes: The Ultimate Watchlist for a Cozy Night In or a Watch Party With Friends
From Martin and Living Single to Girlfriends, Family Matters, Abbott Elementary, and more.
There is something special about revisiting the television shows that made us laugh growing up. The familiar theme songs, the characte [...]

Because They Refused Jim Crow, We Walk Through Different Doors
October 7, 1955: Ella Fitzgerald Arrested After Performing Before an Integrated Audience in Houston
We live inside freedoms that somebody else had to be brave enough to imagine. I am grateful for the people who challenged Jim C [...]

10 Surprising Lessons for Survivors from Gloria Gaynorâs I Will Survive
When most of us hear Gloria Gaynor sing âI Will Survive,â we hear certainty.
We hear a woman who has figured something out. She sounds like she knows where the door is, knows she deserves better and knows she can live without [...]

10 Lessons from The Forever Tree for Black Women, Girls, and Survivors Who Have Learned to Play Small
There is something quietly radical about The Forever Tree.
Tawny Bennett, played by Olivia Washington, is a young Black woman living during the Harlem Renaissance. She is intelligent, knowledgeable and working as an antiquari [...]
10 Lessons for Survivors from Sandy âPepaâ Dentonâs Letâs Talk About Pep
Sandy âPepaâ Denton is known to millions as one of the women who helped change hip-hop. But Letâs Talk About Pep tells another story underneath the records, performances, fame, laughter, relationships and celebrity encounters. D [...]

Tammi Terrell’s Story Reminds Us That Survival Is More Than Staying Alive
When people speak about Tammi Terrell, they often begin with how young she was when she died.
Twenty-four.
They talk about the brain tumor. The interrupted career. The songs she never got to record. The future that was cut sho [...]

7 Reasons Survivors May Want to Read Taraji P. Hensonâs Around the Way Girl
Sometimes the books that stay with Survivors aren't the ones written specifically about surviving.
Sometimes they are simply somebody telling the truth about her life.
Taraji P. Henson's memoir, Around the Way Girl, was pu [...]

Angie Stone, Roberta Flack & Gwen McCrae: The Power of Their Musical Legacy
Angie Stoneâs Music Pulled Us ThroughâAnd Now, Sheâs Gone.
Angie Stone has passed, and somehow, it still doesnât feel real.
During one of my lowest valleys, her music became my guide, my comfort, my reassurance that I [...]

The Wishing Tree With Alfre Woodard: A Beautiful Movie About Finding Your Way Home + Full Movie
Sometimes you want a movie that doesn't demand everything from you.
Something you can put on while folding clothes, answering emails, working on a project, cooking dinner, or finally dealing with that pile of papers that has [...]

How Singing is Surprisingly Good for Your Health
There's a vocal teacher on Youtube that I love, and I wanted to share her with you. Kristel Cherelle's approach reminds me of our choir teachers back in school who had faith in our ability to sing if only we understood technique [...]

10 Lessons Women Can Take From Star Jones, Al Reynolds, and Everybody Who Had Something to Say
There was a time when Star Jones and Al Reynolds seemed to be everywhere.
The proposal came at the 2004 NBA All-Star Game. Then came the enormous wedding, the vendors, the publicity, the photographs, the commentary and eventu [...]

7 Survival Lessons From Eve: Your Life Is Allowed to Have More Than One Act
Some chapters prove you can survive. Others remind you that survival was never supposed to be the whole story.
I love Eve's music.
Let me get that out of the way because, obviously. Tambourine. Love Is Blind. Let Me Blow Y [...]
AFFIRMATIONS AND SELF LOVE
đ When They Still Protect the Person Who Hurt You
Thereâs a heartbreak that goes beyond the original harm.
Itâs the silence.The excuses.The polite smiles at family gatherings.The [...]
HEALING JOURNEY
Affirmations for Cutting Through the “Devil” Dodge
Here is a set of affirmations designed to cut through the "smoke and mirrors" of redirected blame. These are meant to ground you when someone tries to [...]
Your Fall Pain Reducing Anti-Inflammatory Recipes Most Everyone Can Prepare
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[...]
⨠âYouâre Not Brokenâ: Affirmations for Survivors Living with PTSD
My mind is not brokenâit is doing what it had to do to survive the unspeakable.
I honor the parts of me that feel chaotic, confused, or [...]
BLACK GIRL, YOUR CREATIVITY HAS TRAVELED THE WORLD đđ¤
Look around.
Hair.
Fashion.
Dance.
Music.
Language.
Beauty.
Humor.
Style.
So much of what Black communities h [...]
CONFIDENCE/POWER/RESILIENCE

đż 12 Affirmations for the Woman Who is Beginning to Dream Again
It is safe for me to want beautiful things again.
My dreams are seeds planted in sacred ground.
I trust the visions rising from within [...]
How to Embrace Your Imperfections and Still Believe in Your Worth
đż A healing reminder for Survivors learning that they donât have to be perfect to be powerful.
If youâre a Survivor, chances are you were taughtâdire [...]
Somatic Healing and Ancestral Wisdom: How the African Diaspora Heals Trauma Through Movement
Before the world started using words like "somatic experiencing" or "nervous system regulation," our people were already experts in the science of sur [...]
HEALTHING JOURNEY
đŹ 10 Ways Coaching Helps Survivors Reclaim Their Power
A guide for those whoâve survived abuse and are ready to grow, rebuild, and move forwardâwith support.
Surviving abuse is not the end of yo [...]
An Affirmation for Growing Beyond the Outer Markers
I am growing beyond symbols.
Beyond badges, titles, memberships, and borrowed names.
What once helped me find my footing no longer defines my [...]
Survivor Spotlight: Barbara J Hansen
Survivor Spotlight: Barbara J Hansen [...]
âĄThey Misjudged YouâBut You Didnât Disappear
You know whatâs wild?
They thought that breaking you would end the story.They thought silence meant defeat.They mistook your stillness for surrender. [...]
⨠Protecting Your Aura: Setting Boundaries with Toxic People
Some people drain the life out of every room. They thrive on chaos, belittling, and control. And when you are a Survivor, you already know the cost [...]
She Is AMAZING
Women Are the Source, Not the Punchline
âIt is not inclusive to sit silent while people mock the beauty and humanity of women. That is not progressâit is plain old misogyny. The same misogyn [...]
Great Re-Inventors: Eartha Kitt #courage #changeyourlife #comeback
When an American presidential administration attempted to blacklist and silence Eartha Kitt, she simply took her talents and skills overseas where [...]
10 Affirmations For Women Securing Their Own Well-Being
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Strong boundaries empower my empathy; I can be loving without enabling behavior that harms.
Allowing harmful behavior serves no oneâI choose s [...]
đżJosephine Baker: She Refused the Limits Placed on Her Body
JosÊphine Baker was born in the United States.She knew segregation.She knew what it meant to be looked at and not seen.
So she left.
And in Paris⌠s [...]
Survivor Affirmations: I Tend My Own Light (w video)
We might not be able to be friends and that's okay.
⢠Part of my healing is recognizing that not every person deserves access to my spiri [...]
ART HEALS
đś Choose Love, Joy, Hope (w/video)
đś Choose Love, Joy, Hope
Hate makes little ditties âshort, sharp, and forgettable.But joy?Joy makes songs that reach the bones.Songs that bring p [...]
There Are Souls Beyond the Scoreboard: A History Lesson in Hope, Radio, and Second Wind (podcast episode)
We are not living in the time of afterschool specials, radio dedications, and songs that reached through the static to touch a hurting childâs heart.
[...]
What âFind 100 Waysâ Teaches Us About Uplifting the People We Love
There are some songs that do not simply play.
They enter the room.
They adjust the light.
They sit beside you with a kind of grown tenderness [...]
Greg Louganis Was One of the Strongest Athletes in the World. That Didnât Make Him Safe.
Greg Louganis knew what it meant to command his body.
At the height of his career, he could climb ten meters above a pool, launch himself into open [...]
JOURNALING/WRITING IN A HEALTHIER WORLD
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