Be Careful What You Say...

During everyday conversations, people normally do not filter what they say around others. As mental health is becoming a more known factor in people's lives, we need to understand that everyone is going through their own battles every day. What is said around others needs to be thought about before it is said. Little do you know, when you are making a joke or casually talking, you may come across a word or phrase that triggers someone else and makes them uncomfortable depending on what they may be going through.I am a rape surviver and I have faced challenges with my mental health ever since. It is a very difficult road to get back to feeling like your “normal self”, you may never get back to the way that you used to be. You have to adjust to the new normal. Now, I suffer from PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Seeing anything that reminds me of that night, certain songs, words, or smells of cologne,etc. make me get stuck in flashbacks as if the assault was happening all over again. This is now an everyday occurrence for me. Many people joke around a lot about having PTSD about things that are not real trauma, but little do they know, hearing those jokes can send someone into a flashback. People are not aware of what may be a trigger for someone. You never know what someone has been through so it is very important to think about what you say before saying it. Hearing triggers all the time as I am dealing with my mental battles from the assault make it extremely difficult since they have no clue that they are making me suffer just from making a simple joke and there is nothing that you the victim can do anything about it. January fifteenth was the worst day of my life and having to relive it daily is unimaginably difficult, and I hate that others who have been through the worst have to deal with being triggered everyday as well from things people say. So, be careful what you say around others, as they may be going through neverending trauma themselves.