Lived Experiences (Page 3)

i forgave my abuser

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Through an anonymous post shared on the group Women for Women (Malta), a woman has shared her horrific experience of domestic violence with her narcissistic, and violent partner. The extent of her ordeal is clearly felt in her words: “I forgave my abuser because I was afraid he would kill me if I didn’t“. Anita* understands that some may ask,” Why do some women first report their partners for allegedly abusing them, yet later drop the charges against them?”. Anita tells us why she “forgave” her abuser. A year ago, Anita went through a traumatic experience with her partner, a narcissist. Lying, twisting and manipulatingRead More…

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In: Health, Lived Experiences, Mental Health

I can’t breathe … That is the primary thought that races through my mind every time that I suffer an anxiety attack due to an anxiety disorder. Then my chest tightens, my heart starts racing, my body starts trembling, I have trouble focusing and I am filled with the most awful feeling of dread ever. At that moment in time, the world stops. Then I remember to breathe … slow breaths whilst holding myself tight … and my focus starts to come back. I open my tear-filled eyes and I can see the world again. Slowly, it all starts getting better again and I manageRead More…

aftermath of a narcissist

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Unless experienced first hand, the aftermath of narcissistic abuse cannot even be imagined. This is how narcissists destroy lives, as told by a survivor of narcissistic abuse… It is the Christmas season and for many people out there, this is the season of love, joy and prosperity. But not for all … for people like me, there are times when the twinkling lights and the cheery Christmas carols serve as a means of transportation back to a horrible time where I was cheated on and treated like scum … a time where I was at the complete mercy of a narcissist, and the worst thingRead More…

child maintenance

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Yesterday I received a heartfelt message from a close friend of mine, a wonderful mother to 3 lovely children, a woman who I’ve known for more than a decade. During our conversation later on this mother with a broken heart couldn’t hold back tears for all the pain that her ex and father of her youngest son was still putting her through. And the worst part of it all is the reality that our country’s court system seems to be supporting such fathers in tormenting their exes and their own children through lack of action, even when there is evidence of injustice and never-ending liesRead More…

landlords refuse rent to single mother

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Lately, more and more women are coming forward on the popular Facebook group Women for Women (Malta) to talk about a very common issue that single mothers are currently facing when they’re looking to rent an apartment. Whilst the frequently mentioned issues remain as such, including drastic increases in rent prices to long term tenants, we have just met Tina*, who is experiencing what looks to be discrimination specifically targeted to single mothers, where landlords refuse single mothers looking to rent a place to live in. Tina* has been renting a flat for the past year, and has always paid her rent and bills inRead More…

marrying a paedophile

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Paedophile alert! All was set, I was finally going to marry! However little did I know that I was just about to marry a paedophile! It was 2010 and I was a single mother to a 3 year old. I was happy but felt something was missing, so I joined the Connecting Singles dating website. After a few strange messages I finally got a lovely message from a man. He seemed so lovely! He had recently moved to Malta and worked in i-gaming. After a couple of weeks chatting we decided to meet up. We got on so well! He was lovely, I even openedRead More…

scam love

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I recently spoke to Patricia* who wants to share her story about the danger of online dating in the hope that other women do not ever have to go through the same experience. Patricia is an accomplished, independent and educated woman who has her own business but who enjoys sharing her life with others. Patricia is outgoing and has loads of friends but like most good people she believes life is better and more beautiful when shared with a significant other.  As many women of all ages do, she joined Connecting Singles, an online dating platform. Her first mistake she says “was writing all aboutRead More…

stillborn experience

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I was rushed to an ultrasound room where they finally told us “we’re very sorry, there is no heartbeat”. I lost my baby … We were so excited to meet our first baby. My pregnancy was good and straight forward, the baby movements being a constant reminder of my pregnancy. However, I must admit that I was terrified about giving birth – but then again who isn’t? The nights were getting tougher and I struggled to sleep. Then one evening, just after the 38th week, I couldn’t go to sleep and I kept tossing and turning. I sensed that something was suddenly very wrong. IRead More…

adoption

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Fostering a child doesn’t necessarily make a fostered child happy. I have been fostered since I was 2 years old, and this is my experience… I would like to share with you what it’s like for someone who has been fostered for 18 years as I see many comments from people who are anti-abortion they think adoption or fostering a child is the answer. I have been fostered since I was 2 years old, meaning I do not remember going to different families until they find the “right“ one. But other fostered children do and I know it how mentally tiring and difficult this mustRead More…

my sex doesn't define me

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My sex does not define me. Men of all ages assume that as females we are soft, emotional, craving their commitment…when we’re not! I’m sure many can agree that men like to talk down to women, for some it’s almost intrinsic, they might not realise it or like the idea of it, but they practically do it naturally. I see so many men (and sometimes even women) just assume that they know who we are because we’re female; they think we’re ‘soft’, ‘emotional’, ‘craving their commitment’, when we’re not. My sex does not define me. Our characters are not defined by our sex, how isRead More…