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Communicating what’s going on with you

Finding support

When things feel really hard, it can be difficult to put into words what we want and need. Start slowly to find ways of sharing what and how you feel. Think about various ways in which you could communicate - speaking, therapy, writing letters or emails, messaging, art - whichever form helps you communicate.

Getting involved with others to gain support has been scientifically proven to counteract the effects of stress. Support networks are vital for recognizing the signs and symptoms that someone is struggling and can really help during hard times.

There are a couple of things you might want to pay attention to before you disclose your mental health difficulties to someone.  No matter the outcome, remember that speaking up about your abuse was a brave and difficult decision.

Disclaimer: This guide has not been put together by mental health professionals. It is not intended to be medical advice. It has been crowdsourced by survivors and volunteers of Chayn. Care has been taken in reflecting the experiences and knowledge of people around the world, including therapists but information in this guide should be taken instead of certified medical advice. Please seek professional support.

Getting better & moving on: A guide for mental healing after abuse and trauma by CHAYN is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.