Support is when someone or something offers help to you. For me, support comes from my co-workers, my family and my friends. The past 4 weeks have been tough for me, emotionally, and mentally, and without the support of the closest people around me, I would not have been able to make it through with the shiny side facing up. When I decided to leave my abusive husband, I thought the floor was coming out from under me. Having him in my life, as my best friend, as my partner, my husband, for 15 years and suddenly deciding to leave him was the hardest decision I have ever made. My coworkers have supported me in picking up the slack that I have dropped. They have listened to me cry and sob and go on and on about how broken my heart is. And yet, they are still here for me. Their emotional support has shown me that I do have worth; that I am not nothing; that life wouldn't be better off without me in it. My family has been there for me as well. My parents have always been my best friends, but I cannot begin to thank them for the financial, emotional and psychological support that they have shown me. Friends that I have lost touch with have shown back up and have expressed concern for me and have asked what they can do. Having a true support system doesn't mean it is all about the people that are currently in your life. For me, it is about the people that have been there and stuck around and helped pick me up when I was down; when my kids were down.
Without these people literally helping me to survive, I would have crumbled. I wasn't in a good place mentally, or financially, and they helped keep me upright. Quite honestly, without having the support of my loved ones, I would have never had the courage to leave. I would have stayed in a dangerous situation and continued to be unhappy with my life. My children would have grown up thinking it was okay for men to treat women this way.
One challenge I can never imagine having to deal with would be the ability to not drive, because I did not have the means to purchase a car or the ability to actually drive. Without the ability or capability to drive, I would have to spend money on the daily to get anywhere that I wanted to go. (work, shopping, appointments) I would have to depend on other people to help me make it places. Having to depend on someone else to drive me around would save me the cost of car insurance each year. But, it would also make me completely dependent on someone else, which I never want to be. I would feel like a burden. In the end, I might save a little money by depending on someone else to drive me around, but I would ultimately be sacrificing my wellbeing for a few bucks.
