@zimasimp: Chronic pain is not something I tend to share on my page or in my art. But some time ago, I realized I wanted to close a gestalt. Through creativity. I'll be completely honest with you. By posting this comic, I'm hoping to hear from other people who have felt something similar. So if even a little part of this resonated with you or if you'd like to share something in the comments, I don't just encourage you to do so, I'm politely asking you to. This question has haunted me my entire life. Rationally, I understand I'm not alone in this situation... but it just so happens that in my circles, there have never been people with a similar struggle. And that pushes me into a suffocating loneliness I can't shake to this day. The only times I've stumbled across something similar and felt truly heard were online posts: in particular, by artists who turned their stories into comics. Around them people gather (myself included) who share a certain category of unique experience and for the first time in a long time, they stop feeling alone in their pain. I didn't know that was possible before. And it means so much to me. If you're one of those artists— thank you so much for your work. This is why I want to pass the baton and share my own experience in my own visual format too. (The psychosomatic book I referenced is called "The body keeps the score" by Bessel van der Kolk. If the questions I've raised here concern you or if you're interested in the mechanics of trauma in the human brain— I highly recommend reading it. Honestly, I was ready to go on even longer about the useful things I learned from this book but the post would have turned out absolutely enormous. And that's not what I need here, specifically. If this topic resonates with you — I'd be happy to illustrate a couple more comics. I've been interested in the neurochemistry of the brain for a very long time and I'd be glad to share the knowledge I've gathered) When I started drawing this, I didn't have a specific "goal" for these pieces as a post. It's not a motivational comic nor it's a complaint in its pure form. It's what I call for at the end of the comic (to “live through it”). I needed to draw this to live through it and to give myself the strength to keep trying and keep loving life. "I almost died in silence, so now I'm healing out loud." #comics #cptsd #chronicpain #digitalart #vent #ventart

vesnawinters
vesnawinters
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Monday 10 August 2026 22:42:23 GMT
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lord_of_honk_shoo
✨️ Rain !! ✨️ :
you. you actually get it. holy shit you actually get it
2026-08-11 10:23:33
613
zimasimp
vesnawinters :
*until then- one breath at a time ( the last picture. I was so nervous over the thought of posting this all, so my 1000 grammar checks didn't save my last slide from a typo lol x))
2026-08-11 03:55:44
461
alyrt34
Alyart! :
I've been blessed with good health so reading this post genuinely made me tear up, I can't imagine how hard it must be, I wish to all those battling chronic illness/pain/cptsd a life you can be proud of, you deserve happiness the most.
2026-08-29 20:08:08
2
f0xbrained
starlit dawn sys :
the two options being "congrats, something is wrong with you!" (bad) or "congrats, we don't see anything wrong with you!" (also bad) is something i havent seen put into words so well before. it's so frustrating
2026-08-11 10:50:25
451
demonic.artist.666
💜✨️🎨 Levi 🎨✨️💜 :
thank you for putting this into the words I could never fully express properly 💜
2026-08-30 14:51:45
0
tarotgardens
Stars :
This sounds a lot like fibromyalgia (which is also comorbid with ptsd). anyways gorgeous art!!!! it captures how shitty and isolating chronic pain is so well
2026-08-11 11:14:21
37
depressowo
dep • lesbian disaster :
I’m so tired of it all, finally got out of my abusive household and now after finally having the excitement for my life, I get bombarded with all these health issues. Scoliosis, POTS, malabsorption, and some fucking mystery illness that gives me chronic fatigue and so many other symptoms. Can’t work more than 8 hours a week. I’m drowning, but I’m still fighting to find proper treatment. I want my life that I never had
2026-08-11 17:40:41
26
tminn_thyme
tminn :
im actually crying over this, my life has become better and worse at the same time and all this is... well i dont know what to say even but i feel the same way
2026-08-30 02:32:42
1
jayaii8
Knut :
My whole life i have always felt betrayed by my body and i never knew why i was so sick to begin with when i live such a privileged life as my family says. But seeing this makes me feel seen in a way i have never been able to explain to anyone. Even if i can't affford the help i need, it's comforting to know i'm not alone
2026-08-11 06:49:56
45
mister_brian
Brian :
I recently got diagnosed with PCOS/PMOS with AuDHD- I’ve gaslit myself my whole life that I was just dramatic and weak. I’m currently greiving with these diagnosis; this post is helpful in reminding me my anger is not from no-where. Personally, my greatest frustration is that the people who love me in life - are also just waiting for me to ‘get up’. And when you don’t, they ask you why. Why? Because I am ill. I’ve already told you this. Life feels like a cycle of putting my peices back together, and I feel constantly misunderstood. Invisible Chronic illness doesn’t carry the same emotional weight that some others do. So when you tell people, it doesn’t fully register. Even though it’s painful…I’ve been coming to terms with being misunderstood. My loved ones don’t need to understand me completely to empathise and support me. It’s just….it sucks to constantly be your own advocate when you’re barely holding on.
2026-08-12 01:54:41
9
mivvka_
🫧pipka🫪 :
This resonated with me so much. My heart sank when I started to read, because it was so much like my life. I always wished to be sick. Like, sick until I *CAN'T*. But I was already sick. I just was functional most of the time or under some circumstances. But since august 2025 I finally collapsed, let's say it this way. It wasn't pretty, it wasn't nice. I was especially gaslighted and met with anger, hate from other people and my family. They thought I pretend. They thought it's something *entirely* psychological. I did to, for a long long time. But.. I was so happy. Right now I finally don't blame myself so much. This is almost exactly what I dreamed about, no matter how awful it sounds. But I can finally stop blaming myself, even no matter what people say.
2026-08-11 09:57:51
84
cyolex
💫Orion💫 :
I was so shocked this didn’t have thousands of shares and likes and views before realizing it was just posted. This is so well made and described Along with being informative.
2026-08-11 01:03:03
184
sorenn0_0
꒷ ˚̣̣̣ soren 🚦 :
i cant cry much anymore but this did it for me, genuinely thank you. i needed those last couple slides so badly, i shouldnt be ashamed and alone for thinking im damaged physically and mentally. i hope i heal and everybody else dealing with the same or similar
2026-08-11 14:43:42
10
warlockreggie
warlockreggie :
Its bittersweet to read about people with similar struggles. Nice to be able to relate/sad someone else has to go through it. Chronic pain illness just sucks. It took a long while but ive gotten lucky-ish with some management treatments ive responded well too (never cure tho, that was made clear to me long long before any diagnosis was even attempted). I do remember dropping out of this pain management course that was offered to me, becuase i was the youngest person in the online class sometimes by over 50 years. And while my instructor meant any time to talked about frustration about not being able to keep up with my peers it just fell flat. I know its probably never going away and there will always be bad days but i do hope it really does get better
2026-08-11 00:40:51
9
burntbraed
bread :
Maybe something that could at least help a bit in my opinion, it'd be moving away from those who had made you (in general for the ones who relate) feel like your pain doesn't matter at all and tried to gaslight you into thinking you're faking it. I mean, what's the point of considering those people as "family" when all they do is making things worse and not help at all? They are careless and cruel. The more they produce poison from their mouths, the more someone is going to get hurt mentally and physically. In the Bible, Proverbs 13:20 it says “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm". Those who minimize others' pain are fools.
2026-08-11 06:55:14
44
rotten_.strawbereies
🫟🔮Miley🍧🎀 :
This is beautiful, thank you so much for bringing awareness to this all, i may just be a stranger, but i know what this is like (whether i have the same issue or not doesn’t matter), and i am so proud of you for sharing this, creator. The art is beautiful work, and so is the message, keep living on stranger! I hope you can have a great day, and live a great live, many are there to support you for you. Again, Thank you so much for bringing awareness cause i and probably others realize now that i/they may have it too, and that isn’t just some joke or delusion, WE’RE VERY PROUD OF YOU CREATORRR🫶🫶
2026-08-11 05:49:58
5
problematicfoxxx3
DirtyC♡mSl☆t.Xp :
am I viewing myself? I think I'm crying, no one's ever put it so accurately before, every little personal detail is almost the same
2026-08-11 05:46:33
8
makii_yii
☆ :
ive never feel so seen after seeing this tiktok. it is very tiring everytime,for so many times of the year,making medical tests of everything because you have symptoms,just everything to be...fine.
2026-08-11 05:45:25
8
bubble.blythe
•° 𝙱𝙻𝚈𝚃𝙷𝙴 [51%] °• :
this is genuinely exactly how I feel and I've never seen someone describe it this way. I feel stupid for asking but I still don't think I get it competely. How could trauma that happened years ago give me pain now?
2026-08-11 08:19:21
8
r_teixeira_
bea :
similar experience here. it really is hell. if I finish my master's (in clinical psych), I'd like to be able to help pave the way, even if only a tiny little bit, for people like us, but I'd have to hang on and endure a lot to get there. other people sharing their experience and reminding me and many others we're not alone helps keep everything going. thanks for this
2026-08-11 22:33:19
5
lunariasakusa
LunariaSakusa :
Archons this is so relatable. All my life I would get colds at least three times a year, every November, sometime between January and February, and sometime during the summer, each lasting a week or longer of being in bed unable to go to school or see my friends. I have always thought I always had a weaker than average immune system from the amount of colds I get and for how long since all the other kids in elementary school only got sick once a year when something went around and only for a few days. Not to mention the almost constant pain in my knees for as long as I can remember. Or even the chronic headaches and later migraines in 4th grade which also sent me home sick so it was becoming I would be out of school at least every other month for a few days cause I would get sick or a really bad migraine, both of which made me too nauseous to be in class. The panic attacks also started in 4th grade and only happened a few times a year until middle school. Middle school was full of health things going wrong. I was diagnosed with minor scoliosis that had to be checked every few months after I started my growth spurt at the beginning of 6th grade. My period started and it was terrible from the pain of the cramps, the increased knee pain, and more headaches and migraines, without even mentioning the large amount of large pads I went through and had to change after every class. Then by the middle of 6th grade my back pain was so bad from the scoliosis that it was determined the curvature of my spine was past the point of a brace being a choice, especially with how it was shaped like an S curve so surgery was scheduled for a few weeks after the next school year started. 6th grade was also a time where I started to get a lot of ankle pain and some breathing problems from the curvature of my back as the curvatures measured at around 35 degrees at the bottom curve and 50 degrees for the upper part. This all continued over the summer where the curvatures measured reached around 40 degrees upper and 58 degrees in only a few months. 7th grade started and I was only in school for a couple of weeks before my prep-op appointments and actual spinal fusion surgery. To be cont.
2026-08-24 04:55:12
1
azorasdreams
azora :
this post really resonated with me, thank you. to feel seen by others who understand is very rare
2026-08-12 08:54:39
1
kaiyouxi
𝐥𝐚𝐟𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞 [🕯️] 💯 :
I genuinely did not expect to ball as hard as I did this resonated with me a lot I’m so fucking grateful for this post I am seeing so many people like me for the first time in my life it’s bringing a lot of much needed things to my mind again I also cried because I feel terrible that anyone else has to experience this it really does feel so lonely to seemingly be the only one experiencing this kinda stuff sharing our stories can really help people like us please never delete this post I’ve had a number of these experiences to the point I was kinda just forced to deal with the fact that my body will never be the same as I had it before that I will never breathe properly again among other weird sensations I started to feel you are genuinely deemed “deranged” or just “hallucinating pain” it is so incredibly invalidating the illnesses I’m already diagnosed with doesn’t explain all that I feel I had a panic attack in the middle of the night and I woke my mom up just so we can go to the hospital it took a lot just to even muster up the courage to ask her because I usually deal with these problems myself and only when there is really no other option do I ask for help it’s especially hard when you’re ashamed of anything you put your mind into and when you know what their reaction will be to it The constant sensations make me feel closer to death every day I’m also extremely terrified of dying but I feel something all the time it doesn’t help that I’ve gotten used to being so tense and on edge all the damn time I’ve never thought about researching about psychosomatics you actually changed my life forever thank you so much genuinely thank you a lot
2026-08-13 15:31:56
3
pressure_bomb
Sharkbait :
you understand. i was “sick” with heart palpitations, my joints were killing me all the time and i could barely walk or move on bad days. on bad days i could barely sit up without feeling i was gonna collapse or feeling tired or weak. when i got upset i would have heart palpitations until i started coughing and that led into choking and gasping for air. then i would have episodes where i have heart palpitations and lose control of my body while i slowly blacked out. this year i had a friend group leave me it stressed me so bad i ended up in the hospital because my heart was racing, i kept fainting, really bad vertigo, feverish, etc. im assuming the stress is the thing that set off my body. now for months ive been having similar episodes where i stop feeling/having control of my body. i keep telling myself im fine, im
2026-08-27 18:22:13
4
sudami__piepie
Moonchild⁷ :
[1/2] I grew up in a violent house. My father's alcohol addiction, fists and my mother's emotionless reactions and the obsession to prove everyone she won her life through me. I'm the eldest daughter and I went through violence even before I was born. My mother would tell me how father would beat her up with a wooden plank when she was pregnant with me. Nonstop seizures, pneumonia, high fevers, skin rashes, abnormal spine curves, breathing problems, low iron, pain in the bones, muscles aching, insomnia, bed wetting during teen years, tumors in the uterus, constant dizziness... several SAs, hospital visits for stitches after rough nights at the house, finally letting my anger out on my father and punching him back several occasions, parents separating after 17 years of my life in hell, father's constant calls at night to my phone because he became homeless and had to sleep on the pavements after we separated and he wanted make sure that I knew it was my fault, 8 months of isolation, overweight and long periods of heavy self inflicted malnutrition, eating disorders, body dysmorphia And I still studied and studied, because my mom wanted me to. I was told that the only way out of that hell hall is to study as hard as I can and leave the country. 1% countrywide scholarship at 10 years old, scholarship to a big highschool, 7As for O/L, learning multiple languages, and exceptional talent in drawing and art, and dreaming to become an art director and buy a house somewhere in another country...
2026-08-28 21:12:51
2
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