It May Take Her A Whole Year To Repair Her Body After The 5 Years She Lived Through. Deal With It.

It may take a year. It may take more. But a different life is possible.

One of the simplest, realest songs I've ever heard about abuse, recovery, and starting over:

If you weren't able to watch it (in which case you've missed out on a really haunting, beautiful song), or even if you were, let me break down why it's so. freaking. amazing.

The video showcases a series of abuse situations, such as parent-child:

husband-wife:

and peer-to-peer:

Not particularly new territory for music videos. But the song lyrics are what set this one apart. It's being sung in the present from the perspective of the victim as a survivor, explaining to their loved ones about the long-lasting impact of the trauma.

That's what's so powerful here.

Bad, how deep the pain is

Or you just couldn't believe

And yes I'm good on the surface

But I'm a mess, I'm a mess underneath

See winter took most of my heart

And Spring punched right in the stomach

Summer came looking for blood

And by autumn, I was left with nothing
It took a whole damn year to repair my body

It took a whole damn year

It took a whole damn year to repair my body

It's been about five years

Gon' take a long long year for me to trust somebody

Gon' take long long year

Gon' take a long long year for me to touch somebody

It's been a bad five years

It's not just your run-of-the-mill, inspirational, "I was strong enough to leave" survivor's anthem. It's a very real look at how hard life can be after the abuse. It sends three very important messages:

1. To survivors: It's still not easy, and you're not alone.

2. To survivors' loved ones: Be patient and understanding. It takes time to heal.

3. To the outside observers, the friends, the critics: Have some empathy. Understand that the life you are encouraging victims to pursue — free from violence and abuse — may be better in the long run, but it certainly isn't an immediate walk in the park.

Make sure you share this video and those messages far and wide. Maybe we can make the world a little easier and more compassionate for the people around us who are healing from trauma. It may just take a whole damn year.

"Whole Damn Year" is the first video from Mary J. Blige's 13th studio album, "The London Sessions."

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