If You're Wondering If You Can Get Through It… You Can. Here’s How I Did.

Jessica Hopkins
Jan 2
3 min read

I find myself looking back on the past twelve months with a full heart, steady hands, and a peaceful mind. Not because everything was easy... far from it. But because I made it through… and I made something of it. If you’re reading this wondering, “How do I get through this heartbreak? How do I leave the toxic relationship? How do I heal and build a life that feels like mine again?”, this is for you. Because I was there, too. And this is how my year in 2025 looked.

I Left What Was Hurting Me Even Though I Loved Him

Letting go wasn't about anger. It wasn't about revenge. It wasn’t even about proving a point.

It was about reclaiming my sanity. My safety. My soul. Leaving a toxic relationship is not just walking out the door, it's peeling off the layers of manipulation, emotional abuse, gaslighting, and fear. It's learning how to breathe again after you’ve been holding your breath for years.

Was it terrifying? Absolutely. But staying was scarier.

I Grieved the Life I Thought I Was Building

I didn’t just mourn the person. I mourned the dream. The future I imagined. The family I tried to create. The loyalty I gave. The version of me who stayed too long trying to fix what wasn’t mine to fix. Grief came in waves... some small, some tsunamis. But I let it come. I stopped fighting the sadness. And that was the beginning of freedom.

I Turned My Pain Into Purpose

Out of the ashes of that relationship, something began to bloom. I built a business that empowers women to reclaim their power. I launched a podcast to share stories of resilience and truth. I created blogs, tools, and resources to help others heal. I spoke out loud the things I used to whisper to myself at night. I turned the heartbreak into healing. The silence into self-trust. The confusion into clarity.

I Prioritized Peace Over Proving

In 2025, I stopped arguing with people who were committed to misunderstanding me. I stopped performing. I stopped trying to get closure from those who only offered chaos. I chose silence over explaining. Solitude over begging. Boundaries over guilt. And that’s when peace entered. Not overnight, but consistently.

I Became My Own Best Friend

There were nights when I didn’t recognize myself. Mornings where I had to remind myself to get up, to eat, to try again. But eventually, I became the woman I once needed: