You were the “easy” kid. Nobody ever asked what it cost you.

Complex trauma in women rarely looks like trauma. It isn’t one terrible event. It’s what never happened, like nobody asking why you spent so much time in your room. A girl who grows up that way learns to handle everything alone. Then everyone calls her the strong one.

As an adult, it can look like a jaw that aches when you wake up, or anger at your husband you can’t trace, but the truth is. you don’t need more coping skills. You already cope better than anyone you know.