Author: jenniebowyer3350

I continue to struggle with the little things lately. I struggle to smile and pretend. Lately I wake up and I hate everyone and everything. I find I have to isolate because really the only thing I want to do is punch someone. Does not even matter who the person is. I’m not sure how much longer I can continue like this.

I am not enjoying anything and the little things I need to do feel like the hardest things in the world. I was hoping the change in weather would help today but no not even a little. I need to get out of this space but do not know where to start. Tomorrow I will wake and do my best to pretend I’m ready to face the day.

I feel like my life is crushing me. I do not know where to turn anymore. I feel like I am one person and have to try and be 20 other people all at once. Every day I get it up and its a struggle. I do not know what the day will bring or what fresh hell I will encounter! I have no one to turn to and no safe place to fall right now. Don’t get me wrong my husband is amazing but he is working so hard and we do not see each other much between his work schedule and my business.

I have always done well in those crazy moments. I have always been able to keep my head above water and get done what needed to be done. I have always done this on my own. Why, why am I drowning now. Why can’t I get my self together and do what I have always done. When did I become this shell who can no longer do the things that need to be done.

I have an amazing support system, something I never had in the past. However; I feel that now that I have this support system I have become soft, and lazy. I need to find myself again, I fear if I do not I will drown. I wish I knew the answer. I wish I knew if it was better to walk away from the support system and go back to how I always did things before, maybe I would not be so weak now. Maybe I could handle all the things in my life like I use to. I just need to know what the answer is I am lost and can’t find it myself.

How many of you reading this blog try to live your life with no regrets. I mean bad things happen, do I wish they did not happen of course; but if those things did not happen in life who would I be today. For so many years I just wished away my life. Nothing good would ever come of my life anyways. Until that day I started my therapy, and realized I could be a better version of myself. It has taken many years for me to realize that I am okay. I will be okay and I will be the best version of myself because of these things.

Every day I wake up and I have been dreading the days. I either don’t sleep or I sleep and have the nightmares come back full force. I do get up though and try and put a smile on my face and pretend all is good. Why do I do this? I do this because there is no one to trust with how I am really feeling. There is no one who will not compare what I am dealing with to their own life. So pretending save me from all of this. I really want to say, I DO NOT CARE!

No matter the struggle I am expected to wake up and do good things. I put myself through hell to prove to the world that anything is possible as long as you pretend your way through it. I come up with these big ideas and get so tangled up in them that at the end of the day they are all I have. Why do I feel the need to do this? Isn’t working full-time, taking care of my marriage, being a daughter, and a caregiver enough. Of course it is not because I have to be super human. I have to make sure I do not let myself down because the world will kick your ass every time and remind you that you are alone in the world. You Are Alone!! Maybe that is the point I am missing. Maybe I am only suppose to work, take care of my marriage, be a daughter, and a caregiver. Everything and everyone else is just distracting me from these pieces of myself.

So usually I live with no regrets but right now I am feeling a lot of regret. Right now I am feeling defeated. Right now I am wondering why. Maybe it’s time to go back to who I was, who I use to be. I need to be the only one who expects anything from me. One day I hope everything I need finds me because I am tired of searching for them. Tomorrow morning I will get up and continue to do what I always do, that is not going to change, but I can promise that my mind set is changing and I will figure out what my purpose is again.

Tonight when I close my eyes I just want one thing to sleep and rest without the nightmares or fears.

Have you ever lived with your head in the sand and suddenly realize that maybe things are not as you would like to think they are. Have you ever given so much of yourself to a person and then suddenly realize that it is all bullshit. It takes one moment to open your eyes and realize that it’s not okay.

Do you have that one person in your life that has to think their life is worse then your own? Do you feel like you have to defend yourself all the time. It’s exhausting! I need to keep reminding myself that I need to continue to revolve and change my life. Part of that is reminding myself the only person who truly gives a shit about my life is me.

I think I need to make a few person goals around changing my idea of the person I want to be. First goal needs to be giving less of myself to people outside of my intimate world. Goal 2 needs to be looking at myself and figuring out why I feel the need to give more of myself to those around me instead of myself. Last goal is learning to care a lot less about what people think and feel about me.

I want to find out a way to be happy with myself. I want to love myself more then other people. I also need to find away to read those around me to see just how important I am in their lives. I need to stop being so naive about the world.

I had put in to much work on myself and over the last few months I have stopped. Why do we do these things to ourselves. Why are we never enough for ourselves? Maybe this is the question that leads to being finding out what happiness is really is

It’s amazing to me how much I continue to learn about myself and those around me, even at my age. I want to continue and grow and more importantly I want to continue to be a stronger me. I am learning to be my own biggest support. I am learning that I have made a lot of mistakes thinking about those people around me and just how much a try and fix and take care of those around me.

Thinking about this lately has made me examine my reasons behind this. Why do I feel the need to take care of people around me. Why do I feel the need to push myself into someone’s life to try and help when it really isn’t wanted or needed.

Of course I know the answer to these questions I still keep doing this to myself. Even though time and again it is clear it’s not appreciated. It usually isn’t reciprocated either but I allow myself to push that aside.

So I said this year is about more growth and I need to be clear with myself. I do these things for everyone else to avoid. If I am helping others and loving others I don’t have to do the same for myself. So now how do I fix this and make the growth I want to make.

First thing I need to do is get my ass back into therapy I have been avoiding that for months. I think I need to work on finding away to not take on everyone else’s hurt and therapy is my first place to work on that. Second I think I need to go back to thinking about myself first and hopefully feel less of a need to “save” everyone else. I need to be my own best friend and remember that as humans we are selfish creatures and it’s okay.

Then I need to focus on the important things in my life, such as my husband, my mom, my family, and my business. I am the only one who can be the change I want to see.

Last night was not a good mental health night. Today I am going okay but I realize something needs to change. I need to change and grow. I cannot change most of the situations going on in my life but there are some I can control. First thing I need to do is start taking better care of my physical health. My physical health alters my mental health and I know this and really have not cared. My plan is to get back to taking my meds regularly and watching what I eat. My diabetes needs to be better managed and only I can do that, this will help manage my moods so much better.

I need to next take restock of those in my life. I give way to much to people and most of the time I don’t feel like I get the support back when I need it. I want to make my circle smaller and have those people that I can count on, not the people who say I can count on them or the people I have been stupid enough to think I can count on.

I need to work on getting my needs met instead of making sure everyone else is happy. I need to be the most important person to myself. I need to learn that I don’t have to give and bend for others in my life if they want to be there they will accept it and love me anyways. If anyone can’t I need to move on and keep them at a distance. I need to be my own BFF because no one else can or will be what I need.

Every day and every year my marriage is so important for my sanity and my happiness. My husband is my safe place to fall and snuggle into when I feel scared or in a bad place. I also realize my marriage needs work always. I need to be strong enough to ask for what I need, give of myself what is needed, and believe that we can do anything together. I also know I need to be strong enough to ask for what I need to keep my marriage strong.

The last thing I plan to focus on is my business. My business gives me so much sense of purpose. It’s hard right now but every day I know that the business will get better and will be amazing. It’s part of who I am and the passion I have for my future!

This is what I wrote today on Facebook.

I know many people are reflecting on 2020 and can’t wait to see it go. While it has not been the easiest year I can’t say it was a awful year. In February we learned my mom has stage 4 cancer. This sucks completely but I look at this and I am thankful she was able to move back to Wisconsin and move in with me. I have gotten to spend the last 10 months making amazing memories. Then there has been COVID. The world went into lock down. When this happened I was forced to reflect on my life and decide if I was happy or needed to make changes. Starting with my professional life being in an office while everyone worked from home was eye opening! I came to realize I worked at a job that did not give me any sense of purpose or fulfillment, I came to realize that I worked with people who did not share the same passion as I did, my eyes were open to see who had the passion I did. This helped me plan my next adventure. I decided to take my passion from the dead end job to open my own practice with two people who have the same passion for the work we do. It was a lot of hard work but we are open and every week we are growing. I put in long hours but it’s because I love my work not because I have to play catch up all the time. My business has helped me find my purposes. This year I also made the decision to reevaluate the choices I have made in my life and reach out to fix the mistake I made. I have reconnected with someone in my life that I allowed others to cloud my own judgement. This reconnection has been amazing and I have been so luck this person answered when I reached out. Then I have to reflect on the family that I have reconnected with. I have isolated myself from most of my family to protect myself well I have opened my circle and let some back in and I am glad I have!This year has not been easy but it isn’t suppose to be and I have grown so much because if it. I will celebrate the end of the 2020 year but not because it was awful but because of the person I am because of it. The last thing that 2020 has given me is a stronger marriage and so much love for my husband. With Jamie Bowyer by my side I can do anything!! Here is to the end of 2020 and the start of another adventure in 2021. Be safe and much love!

I’m sitting here tonight emotional and depressed. I’m sitting here and wondering why I have to be so strong. I’m sitting here wanting to cry but I won’t because my mom is right here with me and I have to be strong. I’m sitting beee thinking about letting my husband down and myself down because I didn’t plan my life better. I wrote that Facebook post and I look at it now and it’s a lot of bullshit. I am a fake and a fraud.

What I really want to say is I’m tired of being strong, tired of letting everyone around me down. I’m tired of the nightmares that will not leave me alone, I’m tired of pretending I’m okay. I am not okay, I am not strong!

I keep everything to myself I don’t ask for help because I don’t want to be weak also. I don’t tell the people around me that I’m just done and tried and don’t care. I don’t tell them how my heart is broken and tried. I keep the smile on my face because that’s what I am supposed to do. I feel so alone even in a room full of people. Sitting here and writing them I feel pathetic and stupid, because at the end of the day is my life that bad. I sit here thinking about all the people around me who say God is with you. Where is he, where has he been. I hate when people say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. How much more can I take. Am I stronger for being raped at starting at the age of 6 until I was 13. Am I stronger from being groom from 13 to the age of 19. Am I stronger because I still have nightmares and still blame myself. Watching my mom fucking die how is that going to make me stronger. Oh yea I know because tomorrow I will get up put the smile on my face, do what needs to be done, and fall into bed at the end of the day more exhausted because being strong is exhausting. Here is to another day oh yea and another year wish I could say only goes up from here but that is a load of shit!

How much can one person handle before she breaks. How much can see take and still hold her head up high. At what point will she break.

No matter how strong I am, I have a breaking point. I’m ready to cut everything out of my life and focus on my marriage, my mom, and being successful. All the outside chaos is becoming to much. Defending myself in everything is taking its toll. I need to go back to basics. Make my circle smaller and keep myself safe.

Fixing the issues I have and finding away to heal da to be my priority. For once in my life I need to remember I am important. I need to make my goals the first step. I need to speak up and stop being afraid to speak up and have my needs met. I do this in all areas of my life. Stop to say fuck it and make myself happy. The rest will fall into place or fall away neither way it’s okay to put me first. It’s okay to find my happy. It’s okay to take back my power. Starting today and moving forward I will do me and screw the rest. I can be happy and first is to put myself first. Back to basics here we go!

Last night was rough. I did my best to pick a fight with a friend. Not because I wanted to actually fight but because if I am angry then I can normally ignore my other feelings. Well that didn’t work so well for me yesterday. I wanted someone to hurt as bad as I was hurting, but at the end of the day I felt guilty and crappy. I started talking to this friend and I found I couldn’t hold my emotions back anymore. I talked to my friend for a while and then wrote my post last night. I crawled into bed with my husband and ended up breaking down all over again. I don’t think he knew what to do with me at that time. He does not realize he was exactly what I needed. He held me while I cried and just let me be with my feelings.

Then today I went with some other amazing friends and we went and spent the evening seeing Christmas lights and then having dinner. I needed their laughs and love to help me gain my strength again. It amazing to me how lucky I am to have an amazing support system. I am not alone and when I can’t pick myself up I know my support will hold me up until I am strong enough to do it myself. When things are hard I need to remember I’m never alone. Tonight I go to bed with my heart full and ready to face tomorrow!

Lately things have been going pretty well. Of course nothing is perfect, but at least lately I have felt pretty balanced. One thing that helps is I love my work. I love owning my own business and getting to work with people I want to work with and help them be successful in their lives. Every day I come to work knowing I am not making any money yet but that I can make a difference for people in my way and that feels amazing.

Every day I do worry about my mom. In case I have not mentioned it she has stage 4 pancreatic cancer. She stopped chemo back in August. She was not enjoying life at all and it just was not worth it for her. For the first couple of months after she stopped chemo she was getting her energy back and eating like crazy. Over the last few weeks I have slowly seen her have less energy. She has lost her spunk. This last week she had to start using a cane and she is no longer able to get in and out of her pickup. We have made adjustments in life. She now drives my Buick because it is easier for her to get and out of. I feel one of the most important things is that she keeps her independence as long as possible. At this time it is just one moment at a time and we keep making those memories.

For the first time in a lot of years we are celebrating Christmas in my house because I want to make sure that she has the best holiday and we can make great memories that I can hold on to when she is gone. Considering all of this I can still look for the positives and take every moment that I can get

I think I use to like it better when I locked myself away in my house and did not leave it. I did not have to see anyone, make nice, or take the chance of being left feeling unsafe. Lately I feel like I am all of the above and it is hell. There is always something or someone who is going to let you down or try and drag you down. I always hope that I am in a place that this does not happen, but lets be real I am still in that place all the time. It is worse with the nightmares, because leaves me feeling emotional and vulnerable and these feels seem to follow me the rest of the day. I don’t get a break and I do not get to just have peace in those days.

It is hard to spend every day looking over your shoulder and trying to avoid anything that could through me into a bigger tailspin. I am fearful and numb most of the days and it is hard work to try and pretend that everything is okay. I say I am fine, but really I am screaming in my head I am not fine. I am in Hell right now. I am lucky in many ways I have a great support system, but really they can only do so much when I am feeling this way. I even find I pretend with them so no one knows what is actually going on with me.

The stupid thing is that I know that when I shut people out I am letting the evil back into my head. I am reminded again and again, that I am no good, not lovable, and will never truly be wanted by anyone. I live in the belief that no one would want me expect to get their own needs met. Logically I know this is not completely true, but that does not stop the insecure or illogical part of me believing this. I hear his voice saying these things to me over and over through my day. It is hard to not believe it when there are people in your world that show you that it is true.

I would love to have a day where my confidence is real, that I truly feel loved, where I know I am needed just because of who I am. Will this be how it is for the rest of my life? When will I have the chance to stop pretending I am happy and actually be happy. Don’t get me wrong there is happiness in my life, but there are a lot of days I have to pull myself out of the place I have been thrusted into to feel it.

It doesn’t seem to matter how much effort and time I put into my trauma treatment. It does to take much for it all to come crashing back down on me. The last few weeks have been pretty stressful with a lot of changes in my business life. Since everything started I have not been sleeping. The reason I am not sleeping is because when I being stressed it increases my anxiety. When my anxiety increases the nightmares come back stronger then ever. There are times when i feel like I am right back in that world. Every night I feel like I am being raped over and over again. That part is not even the worse part. The physical pain from the rapes are so much easier then hearing the voice again and again saying the same thing over and over again. “NO one will ever want you! No one will except you and take care of you the way I do.” “I mean look at you, you are so broken no one would ever take the time to try and find you’.

It still takes my breath away every time I hear those words. I use to hear those words in person while he raped me, but nothing compares to hearing them now. Nothing compares to the power those words still have over me. He has been dead for over 20 years and I still close my eyes and hold by breath waiting for the door to open. I am married to an amazing man and I still lay next to him waiting for the nightmare to start and feeling the intense fear just like it was over 20 years ago.

I still hate myself and think I am weak. Why did I let this person control me so much that I did not see what was going on until I was free. How could I be old enough to realize it was wrong but I did not stop it. What kind of person allows themselves to do something that was so wrong and not stop it. I was molested for years and I have been able to move past that, but I can’t let go of the abuse that comes with grooming. I don’t know how much longer I can deal with the nightmares before I break (no I do not plan to hurt myself). How much can one person survive and still be able to manage being a decent person in life. I feel so lost, angry, hurt, an broken and I hate that I feel this way. He is dead why am I still suffering. Well that is easy I am just continuing what was started and do not know how to stop it. Please I need peace and I need to feel whole for the first time in my life.

This year just continues to be a kick in the ass! I am so over everything. This was suppose to be a great year minus a few challenges. It has been anything but.

Let’s not even talk about the obvious issues with COVID and the other issues society is facing. That should be enough but of course it isn’t the end of the things that have continued to suck this year.

February my mom comes home we find out she has stage 4 cancer. She starts treatment feels like crap and just recently stopped all treatment. She is feeling better but of course that will just be temporary.

Then with my mom being sick this opens up flood gates I had worked hard to keep closed. So many family relationships being forced back into my life. I kept them out for a reason but like had different ideas.

One good thing came from all of this and my brother and I are civil to each other and hopefully this continues. I got to meet my niece and nephew who are amazing!

Then I learned a friend has been lying to me for months and this causes me to worry about trust and openness within this friendship. I hope that this are going down the right path but I have to be honest with myself I have no idea if they are. I fear that the lies are continuing and I know this could make things worse if the lies continue.

Then the biggest change of all was leaving my county job and following my dream of opening my own practice. This has been a huge labor of love, fear, panic, and more recently anger. I should have though things through more and considered my options.

Now I have my amazing business and I am so excited to see where it goes, but I have come to realize that not everyone has the same views as I do about the business. I feel that some feel that this business is just going to be there to give them the time they want to do whatever without any effort and want to get the rewards that come with that. Now I fear that my stupid inability to recognize that some people are just not trust worthy or do not have the same drive as me will cost me everything I have been busting my ass for.

Just one more reminder that I was better off isolated and alone. At least then the only one who could hurt me was me. Trust is hard to give and I have given it to the wrong person again. This time I could cost me even more then my dignity!