Tag: Chronic Illness
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Daring to Dream Again: Finding Hope After Trauma
For a long time, I didn’t let myself dream. Survival was the only goal. Dreaming still feels dangerous—like setting myself up for disappointment or failure. When you’ve spent years just trying to make it through the day, the idea of planning for a future, of imagining a life beyond the next crisis, feels foreign. Maybe…
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Why Rest Is Revolutionary for Trauma Survivors
“Pay mind to your own life, your own health, and wholeness. A bleeding heart is of no help to anyone if it bleeds to death.” Frederick Buechner About a week before publishing my memoir, my body reminded me who was really in charge. A health flare-up hit me like a tidal wave, leaving me alone…
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Trying to Heal When You Can’t Afford to Break
Healing from trauma is a challenging journey, often hindered by financial, emotional, and environmental barriers. Survivors face high costs for therapy and alternative treatments, lacking adequate support systems. The process can feel disheartening as they navigate exploitation and limited options. Ultimately, healing should be accessible to all, not a privilege.
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Braving the Unknown: My Path to Living Fully
My memoir ends on a hopeful note, but also a realistic one—life is still hard. My physical health continues to be a challenge, but for the first time in a long time, my mental health is stronger (in some ways) than it has ever been. Not because I’ve disconnected from my past but because I…
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When Your Body Rebels Against Your Biggest Moment
The day my proof copies of my memoir arrived should have been one of the happiest days of my life. And for a moment, it was. I had felt the anticipation and excitement building for days—so much so that I could barely sleep the night before. But what I didn’t realize was that what I…
Jessica Woodville | Memoir & Musings 