Start here: When Rest Doesn’t Help: What C-PTSD Fatigue Feels Like
Welcome – I’m so glad you’re here
This blog is a space where survival, grief, and resilience are honored – and stories are shared. My hope is that you find something here that makes you feel less alone.
I’m Tara Cotten – a writer, survivor, and someone who has lived through seasons that demanded more strength than I thought I had. My twin sister, Erica, and I both work in federal finance, where structure and systems define our days – but storytelling has always been how we made sense of everything else. This space is where the emotional side of our lives get to speak.
By the time we turned 40, we had lost more people than I could count on two hands. Some left in an instant. Others slipped away slowly. But every single one left a permanent mark on how I see the world, and how we move through it.
If you’re ever felt like you were carrying more than most people know – or if the world kept spinning while you held something heavy no one else could see – you’re not alone here.
This blog isn’t a how – to blog or a step – by step grief guide. It’s a place for messy truths, quiet moments, and honest reflection. I write about grief, trauma, and mental illness. I also write about the unexpected things that help us stay. These include music, media, family, long conversations, and trips that remind us that we’re still here.
If you have ever felt like you’re experiencing a kind of exhaustion that rest can’t tough, I wrote this for you: When Rest Doesn’t Help: What C-PTSD Fatigue Feels Like
Between the ages of 14-18, we lost four people we loved deeply – two to AIDS, one to cancer, and one to gun violence. We didn’t always have the words for what I was going through, but I knew how heavy it was. We still do.
Erica will appear here occasionally, both on the Soundtrack to Survival podcast and the blog. We’ve lived the same story in different ways and that gives us a lot to say about grief, survival, and healing.
I created this space because I know what it’s like to walk through the world with invisible weight. This is a space that welcomes the messy middle, where survival looks like stumbling, circling back, and starting over again.
Music, media and family have saved me; writing has given me breath.
What’s Ahead?
In time, this blog will grow to include podcast episodes (Soundtrack of Survival is coming soon), monthly newsletters, and eventually retreat opportunities for those who want a deeper connection.
Subscribe
If this space resonates with you, I’d love for you to stay connected.
Subscribe get new blog posts delivered straight to your inbox. You will get early access to podcast episodes, exclusive resources, and more.
This is more than a newsletter, it’s a space for stories, music, and moments that remind us we’re not alone.
Subscribe now
Looking for support?
Additional Resources