Today’s SameHere Hero Story: Emma Barucci
I was in a really toxic relationship that was both mentally and physically abusive. It lasted two years and my partner was extremely manipulative and controlling and practically brainwashed me. Being in a relationship that bad had some pretty severe side effects. The trauma from it accumulated and manifested in more anxiety and depression than I’d already experienced, as well as PTSD. There were trust issues with friends and family members…anxiety around being in another relationship…reassurance issues…self-doubt…body shaming myself…fear and just overall exhaustion.
The relationship I was in happened during the summer when it ended I got a lot of support from my therapist who I’m super grateful to have. I also did a support group that was super helpful. Along with that, I have the comfort of my family and friends, especially my best friend who’s been there for me for a long time who all mean so much to me.
Some thing that helps me so much is music. I’m a singer I actually coped with the trauma of this relationship by writing a song and actually publishing it on Apple Music. I also play the piano and the ukulele and guitar. I also enjoy spending time with my two dogs and I love doing art such as drawing and painting. Recently I’ve gotten into doing physical activity. I joined my local gym and on days where I’ve been stressed I’ve gone and pushed myself to do physical movement which is also a coping skill intense exercise which has been a big help.
Going public about what I’ve gone through was a big fear of mine, I didn’t know what to expect from people’s responses. I was so lucky to get the responses I did receive though, they consisted of people reaching out and thanking me for sharing my story leading to people saying that I helped them by knowing that someone else went through something similar that they went through. It also helped me to know that I wasn’t alone.