Moving Beyond Your #MeToo Experience
by Nancy Mueller
When a current or past experience continues to
bring up negative memories, feelings and emotions,
it's often a catalyst for causing us to doubt who we
are as women as well as who we deserve to be and
what we deserve to have. to her that matters, it’s what she does with what hap-
pens to her that will determine her future. After an
assault, your life will never be the same again; but
you have the power to choose how you’ll live your
life.
When doubt hijacks our self-worth, it can cause a
ripple effect that escalates to a point where we feel
powerless over how we live our life; and spills over
into our careers, relationships, health and even who
we see in the mirror. STEPPING OUT OF VICTIM AND VENGEANCE
MODE:
When violence has been thrust upon us, violence
often seems the logical recourse. As we speak our
truth, as we speak out, we often want our perpetrator
to suffer as we’ve suffered, causing us to waste
hours, months and even years creating negative
feelings and emotions that only add to our grief.
There is a way to reclaim what you believe was
taken from you, there is a way to take back your
power once you realize the only thing that can be
taken from is what you choose to give away. When
you look in the mirror, choose to see the warrior
within you. She’s staring back at you. She’s waiting
for you. She’s waiting to hear you say, “I choose
who I will give my power to, I choose me.” Everything
we choose to believe is a story we’ve created in our
mind. Your story can be told with you as the warrior
or you as the victim.
IT'S TIME TO TAKE BACK YOUR POWER!
A woman who has experienced any form of verbal,
emotional or physical assault can be left with a range
of emotions, including (but not limited to) grief,
despondency, denial, anger, "why me", vengeance,
retribution, downplaying the experience, low
self-worth and it can take years to understand how it
affects the way you’re showing up in your life.
Women may even go so far as to downplay the
event to convince themselves the experience wasn't
"that bad" when they compare their story to the
stories of others.
When we’ve had enough, when we decide the cost
of keeping quiet is too high, many women make the
decision to speak their truth as a first step in reclaim-
ing her power. She speaks her truth because she
knows that having been victimized does not make
her a victim. She knows that it’s not what happens
The story you choose to believe, will determine how
you show up in your life.
Remember: Life Is All About Choices