02/08/2026
If you are feeling shaken, angry, sick to your stomach, or unable to look away from the news right now, there is nothing wrong with you.
When stories surface about systemic abuse, exploitation, and the protection of people who cause harm, many nervous systems respond as if danger is immediate. For survivors especially, this kind of information does not live only in the mind. It can live in the body. In memory. In sensation. In old fear that never fully got to leave.
You might notice anger.
You might notice grief.
You might notice numbness, dissociation, or a pull to constantly check for updates.
You might notice old memories surfacing without warning.
These are not signs that you are broken.
These are signs that your nervous system recognizes injustice and harm.
Outrage can be protective.
Grief can be protective.
Even shutdown can be protective.
You do not have to consume every detail to care.
You do not have to prove your empathy by retraumatizing yourself.
If you need to step back, step back.
If you need to talk, reach out.
If you need to be angry, be angry.
Your reactions make sense in a world where systems have not always protected the vulnerable.
You deserve safety, support, and spaces where your story is believed and held with care.
You are not alone in what you are feeling and your outrage is necessary for meaningful change.