Yeah.

It's a slow, yeah, build up of losing yourself.

Uh, but I think, you know, one of the, uh...

One day, uh, and this is so important to keep friendships because they are the backbone to your path forward.

Because one day a friend gently pointed out the way I was being disrespected.

Uh, she'd noticed the things that I'd sort of normalized for years.

And at first I, I brushed it off, telling myself that it wasn't that bad, and that's just how life is.

How did the emotional abuse, uh, lead to financial abuse? And when you say financial abuse, in what sense are you talking about?

So looking back now, were there any warning signs that you didn't recognize at that time? And when was actually the realization point in your life that, okay, This is where you are and something has to be done about it.

Yes, well, as I said, in my case, abuse grew slowly.

And what started out as one incident of disrespect became two and three until it eventually became the way I lived.

I mean, I was told I was stupid, so it didn't take long for me to believe that.

And that meant each time...

I was treated badly, it began to feel like it was my fault.

And so, you know, I was trying to make things better, but how could I make it better when I didn't feel good or I didn't, you know, it was my fault.

So can you just share some long health effects that being in an abusive relationship costs to you?

Yeah.

And it's for freedom for others as well, not just yourself.

It's give others a choice of making their own decisions, their own choices, and if you're aligned, you'll be together.

Yes.

But if that person ch- changes, no, they're not...

You know? It's like they're just being who they are.

You can't change that.

Yeah.

once a day, getting to the park or a couple of times a

week? That's right.

That's when it kicks in.

You start to think, no, because don't forget self-care, putting yourself first because you put others before yourself because we think it's, loving and loyal and good, but it's not.

It only just makes you lost even more.

So self-care is a thread.

It's a thread that keeps you connected to yourself when everything else is unraveling.

What are some of the things that you did to rebuild trusting yourself?

You wanted to add something.

But that's what happens.

You don't have all the answers, but it does happen.

There is support out there.

There are people like me that we walk this path and we want to help others do the same too.

There's counsellors, there's women's shelters, there's...

Friends, support groups, there's people out there that can help you.

Hello? Hello?