Secrets and Silence
Secrets and Silence
How many of you have held a secret that causes you pain and suffering? How many of you have been silent? Why do you continue to be silent? I invite you to ponder these questions if you have secrets and have been silent. Giving the secrets a voice is FREEDOM!
I am one of those women who have been silent most of my life. I have carried this burden. As a result of it, for years I questioned what is wrong with me? I always had this lingering hole in my being. I never knew what it was.
It was my 60th birthday that prompted me to get back into therapy and dig deep and figure out what was truly going on. I didn’t want to numb, drink, eat my feelings, or anything that I thought would make me feel better. None of it ever made me feel better. It was always a temporary fix.
As I began my journey unveiling my secrets, I realized there is nothing wrong with me. There were things that happened in my life that I could never share with someone because there was FEAR, SHAME, JUDGEMENT, and ANGER, around my secrets. I felt less than, not whole, not good enough, certainly not in my power. I lived life small.
Was it hard to tell someone my secret? Absolutely. I remember thinking about the emotions that went with having to share my secrets. I felt fear, shame, guilt, blame, afraid that others would judge me. I felt sick to my stomach when I thought about sharing my secret.
I thought about who I trust enough to share my secrets with. Once I opened up to one person, a person whom I trust, then I was able to share with others, people whom I trust. It’s very important that you share with someone who will listen to you, who will support you to feel safe enough to share.
This was a huge burden lifted up. One by one, I released my secrets, put a voice to them, and released them. Knowing that as I do this work, I am more empowered. I am stronger, and I no longer live little. I live life BIG! There is so much empowerment doing this work.
Women, it’s important that we use our voice! We speak our truth! We honor and love ourselves enough to open up and release the secrets that we hold. Together we will rise!
Written by Natasha Burke, January 18, 2018