Category Archives: daily blog

I Didn’t Know

Photo by Nayla Charo on Pexels.com

As a child, I didn’t know:

  1. what bullying, manipulation, incestual sexual abuse, and sexual assault meant. 
  2. I needed to heal from childhood sexual abuse. 
  3. Individuals who experienced childhood sexual abuse were at an increased risk of dropping out of high school and experience anxiety, depression, insomnia, teenage pregnancy, and substance abuse.
  4. Being in an abusive environment increased my risk of being abused.

Therefore, I relied on what I believed, heard, and saw. 

I believed:

  1. I was here for a purpose.
  2. True Love is possible.
  3. Life had more to show me.
  4. I am a student of life.

I heard:

  1. The Voice of reason within me. I had a connection to something greater than me, and I needed to listen. 
  2. My mother’s life principles including giving from the heart, living another day, cleaning your heart, taking care of what you have so God could bless you with more, listening, and how you do not need to create the past.
  3. Positive reinforcement from my mother, brothers, other family members, friends, and teachers

I saw:

  1. The two family members and many others get on with their lives, so I chose to get on with mine.
  2. Beautiful, poised, strong trees endure extreme temperatures, and each year, they looked better than the last one. 
  3. Character traits I wanted and did not want in movies and television shows. 

In my case, what I didn’t know, helped me. I dug deep within and called out for nature’s help. I do not minimize any experience anyone goes through. I know how important it is to understand how something affected us, but, I know our beliefs and what we hear and see impact our healing path from traumatic experiences.

Research and statistics have their place, but you do not have to put limits on how you should feel, respond, and think about your life experiences. 

Make this lifetime great!

You deserve it!

Timika

MSN BSN RN, Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, ACE Fitness Instructor, CDCES

P.S. I would love for you to join my community of being bent on using our experiences as stepping stones to our divine purpose, healing from the inside out, and achieving and sustaining optimal health. Join below.

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Call Me By My Name

I never liked labels. Early on, our mother taught us to call people by their names, a principle she learned through her personal experience with teasing and through someone she loved. 

During my mother’s childhood, people teased her about her “skinny legs.” She shared her disappointment with her father. Then, he shared his story of being teased about the size of his head. She never forgot what it felt like to be teased or her father’s lingering pain from childhood; therefore, she was passionate about reinforcing her principle to call people by their name.

When some family members described an out-of-town family member, they described her by saying she was “crazy.” When I met the family member, I realized that she was not crazy; she was misunderstood. But, I saw the impact of other’s opinions on her identity. I saw the pain in her eyes; there was more to the wounds she had.

When I graduated from nursing school, some people referred to me as a “nurse.” I didn’t like that label either. I just wanted to be Timika, a person that is more than her experience. Part of what helped me to move forward from childhood sexual abuse, was avoiding labels based on fear.

For the first time I watched approximately 40 minutes of Oprah’s new show The Me You Can’t See, last night. Unfortunately, we live in a world in which people project their fears and insecurities on others. I believe many of our adulthood issues stem from our childhood wounds often projected by others. At some point, we believe that others’ opinions mean more than what we think of ourselves. Fortunately, illusions do not stand up to the Truth. The Truth is in us and waiting for us to recognize that we are not what others think of us.

Our parents had reasons for choosing our names, including in memory of a loved one, someone they admired, or the love of a particular name). Who am I to trash over that name? Now, I admit that I am not an expert at remembering names, but I do try. I go further in seeing beyond a person’s name. I see a person who matters and is here for a divine reason.

We are all on a journey of self expression and identification. Especially in childhood we need time to figure ourselves out without the opposition of others. In the same breath, we must know we can’t stop others from talking. As my mother told us, “as long as people have a tongue they will talk.”

Although I learn from my experiences, I am not my experiences. I am not my detours in life, career, profession, or trade. I am not your opinion or stereotype of who I should be. I am not the color of my skin. I am a divine spirit in a unique human form with a mission to complete just like you.

We must know who we are so we do not fall for who we aren’t. You are more than your experiences. You are here for a purpose.

Make this lifetime great!

Timika

I would love for you to be a part of my community bent on healing from the inside out, achieving and sustaining the best health possible, and reuniting with our divine purpose, which is the Light within us.

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Nothing Happens Overnight

After I graduated from undergraduate and landed an RN position at my place of employment, I moved out of my mother’s and house and found an apartment right off highway 70. During this period of stillness, I started researching child sexual abuse and incest. I learned about child sexual abuse prevalence, risk factors, and short and long term consequences.

I continued to learn more about America’s history, including the treatment of all women. Here is an excerpt from Bent Not Broken, my memoir on what I learned from my sexual abuse experience and how I found my healing path:

“The act of anyone forcing his or her will on another human being, violating the ethical, moral, and sanctity of human life, is nothing new to the world. For centuries, many children, both young and old, were subjugated to abuse and rape and lived with censored voices. Unfortunately, the cycle of unleashed pain and torment continues to callous human hearts,  dismantling the family concept and infecting generations.  The darkness within the world appears to be winning souls, manifesting adversity as damnation instead of a means of uncovering the Light within us.” 

In other words, I learned that I was not the only one, and many children, young and old, after their abuse, kept on moving forward. I am not standing on the shoulders of those before me, but they are guiding me from above, behind, in front, and from both sides. The strength I have to overcome come from generations before me.

Know that you are not alone. If someone else found their healing path, you, too can find yours and move forward with your abilities, gifts, and talents and be the light within a sometimes darkened world.

To be a part of the community that is bent on using child sexual abuse and other adversities as stepping stones to your purpose, sign up for my quarterly newsletters. I share what I am working on, tips to initiate and sustain healthy behaviors, and updates.

To Your Best Health and Life!

Timika S Chambers

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