Keresse Thompson, LCSW

08/21/2026

I think this is one of those things that can be really hard to recognize when you’re in it.

Because you think, “They know me. They know my wounds. They know what I’ve been through.”

And that can feel like intimacy.

But there’s a BIG difference between someone knowing your vulnerabilities and someone using them against you.

If I tell you I’m afraid of abandonment, you shouldn’t use leaving as a threat every time we’re in conflict.

If I tell you something I’m deeply insecure about, you shouldn’t bring it up later specifically because you know it will hurt me.

If I tell you something painful about my childhood, that information shouldn’t become ammunition the next time you’re angry with me.

And no, I’m not saying people are never going to say something they regret during an argument. We’re human. We can get triggered and say some fu**ed up things.

I’m talking about a PATTERN of learning what hurts someone and then intentionally going back to those exact wounds whenever you want to punish them, control them, or gain the upper hand.

That’s different.

Your vulnerability should be safe with your partner.

You should be able to tell someone your deepest wounds without secretly wondering, “Is this going to be used against me later?”

Because the person you trust with your softest parts shouldn’t be the person looking for the easiest place to hurt you.

08/20/2026

Instagram Caption

I think one of the hardest parts of letting go is realizing that missing someone doesn’t mean you made the wrong decision.

Sometimes you miss the person. Sometimes you miss the routine. Sometimes you miss having your person to call. And sometimes you’re really missing the future you thought you were going to have with them.

And honestly, that s**t can mess with your head.

Because you can remember the good moments and still know the relationship wasn’t good for you as a whole.

You can love someone and still know you can’t keep doing the relationship the way it was.

You can miss them and not reach out.

You can wonder what they’re doing and still choose not to look.

You can have moments where you wish things had been different without deciding that you need to go back.

Healing doesn’t necessarily mean you stop caring.

Sometimes healing is being able to care without abandoning yourself to keep someone else.

You can miss them and still let them go. 🤍

08/20/2026

Sometimes we keep thinking we need to communicate our needs better when the real issue is that the other person either can’t or won’t meet them.

You can explain what you need calmly. You can have the conversation over and over. You can try to be more understanding, less emotional, more patient, more “secure”… and still end up feeling lonely in the relationship.

And that doesn’t automatically mean your needs were unreasonable.

Sometimes you’re trying to communicate a need that the other person simply doesn’t have the capacity, desire, or willingness to consistently meet.

That’s where we have to stop asking, “How can I make them understand?” and start asking, “If this is what they’re actually offering me, can I be happy with this?”

Because better communication can improve a relationship, but it cannot manufacture emotional availability, consistency, effort, or willingness.

At some point, the answer isn’t asking harder.

It’s deciding whether what you’re being offered is enough for you. 🤍

08/19/2026

The hardest part wasn’t losing them, it was losing myself…

08/17/2026

What’s the most ridiculous thing someone has lied about, but expected you to believe? Like laugh out loud the audacity.

08/14/2026

It’s incredibly hard to be OK with being a villain and someone’s story, especially when you have no control over the narrative and that’s not your experience or your reality. Although it gets to a point where we may have to radically accept, it’s OK to grieve that experience.

08/12/2026

You’ve come so far.. give yourself some credit

08/12/2026

I was hesitant to post this but I wanted to show you that grief is not linear. Yesterday I felt good, today a wave of reality and sadness hit me. Social media can show all the good and show a lot of illusions, but that’s not reality often times. To anyone out there that is going through something similar, you can be the smartest, most intelligent, beautiful person, and still end up in a dynamic that you never intended to be in. You are not alone.

08/10/2026

Mochi’s first week! She already knows how to sit , lay down and give paw. She got her first bath, and has made me laugh when I didn’t think I would again. She’s the cutest

08/10/2026