How you can cope with past trauma

 Welcome everyone! 

Today I want to discuss something that affects us all and sometimes can hold us back from living the life we truly want. That is past trauma. We always speak about how struggles and failures are necessary parts of the human experience however we rarely discuss how past trauma can actually affect out daily lives and how it is also part of the learning process of understanding life. 

We tend to consider ourselves lucky if we avoid trauma throughout our lives, while some of us are constantly working through it and allowing it to define who we are. However let's be real, because trauma affects us all whether it is big or small.

So where do we start to work through trauma in our lives?

I want to highlight 6 FANTASTIC ways to help you to deal and cope with trauma.

Let us begin...

1. Allow some time because that will give your psyche the opportunity to understand the trauma that has occurred and actually create space for you to work towards accepting it, learning to live with it, understanding it and finding the value in that experience. 

2. Find support because when you talk about your trauma either in therapy sessions, support groups or with close friends and family, those people who you trust and admire are able to offer you a safe space of relief and an environment where you can discuss your emotions around the trauma you have experienced. It is also really helpful when someone is able to share their experience on how they made it through a difficult time because it helps you to not feel alone and it gives you perspective on how to view a situation. 

3. Practice mindful techniques like breathing or grounding yourself by spending time in nature, or listening to your favorite song, visiting your favorite place and regulating your nervous system in a way where the feelings of anxiety and stress are relieved. 

4. Do normal things every day because when you go through something really traumatic, it can take over all parts of your life. So reconnect with your family and friends, go for a smoothie every Wednesday and create a normal routine where you are encouraged to begin enjoying life again. 

5. Practice saying positive affirmations because when you replace negative thoughts with more positive affirmations that helps to shift our minds to focus on the present moment and allows us to slowly begin creating a healthy habit where we look for the good in every situation. 

6. Self care is probably one of my favorite mental hacks because it encourages having a healthy routine of doing what makes us happy every day. Trauma can definitely pull us further away from our own bodies and our needs and that will only leave us feeling disconnected and de motivated. So why not take a more gentle approach with yourself by creating a healthy routine that includes a more balanced relationship with food and work out routine?

Of course these are simple ways to help you cope with trauma and helps to encourage the process of healing however there are much deeper traumas that take deeper work so definitely seek professional help. These tips that were highlighted are simply reminding you that taking care of ourselves is important even through a traumatic experience and that there are small, meaningful ways that we can understand the new levels of self care and what that will do for our mental and emotional well being. The choice truly is with us, so definitely take the time to take care of you. 

I believe that you never win or lose - you either win or you learn. That is priceless. Find your rainbow behind every dark cloud.