Y’all know that individual health behaviors – choices around nutrition, exercise, smoking, etc. – only account for about 25% of a person’s health status? The determinants of health are largely social: income and education level, the safety of one’s physical environment (e.g. working conditions, clean water), and degree of social support. Trauma is far worse for health than fast food.

It’s tempting to subscribe to a just world theory, where good things happen to good people (or people who make good decisions), and problems befall problem people, but that just isn’t the world we live in.

Most sick people have spent their lives fighting against oppressive circumstances. They don’t invite illness and hardship with their bad decisions, they are miracles of survival in a sociopolitical environment that’s hostile to their very existence.

Reminder

howilearnedtocope:

You are worthy even if you are disabled.

You are worthy even if you cannot work or hold a job

You are worthy even if you cannot support yourself.

You are worthy even if you cost your loved ones a lot of money because of your medical care

you are worthy even if you are homeless

How you are treated speaks to the people in power and their priorities, not your inherent worth as a human being. You are beautiful, special, and important & your life matters. I know you didn’t ask to be sick or disabled, and anything that happened bc of that is not your fault. I love you ❤

sheisrecovering:

Your abuser’s trauma does not justifiy them abusing you.
Your abuser’s disability does not justify them abusing you.
Your abuser’s gender does not justify them abusing you.
Your abuser’s illness does not justify them abusing you.

For everyone that needs to hear this: there is nothing you could ever do that’s punishable by abuse, and there is NOTHING anyone could ever say to justify the abuse you experience(d).

Source: sheisrecovering