Leaving the Past Behind Is Possible, Here's How
Going through something traumatic has a profound way of impacting our lives. Sometimes, we don't even realize all the ways that trauma has shifted our physical and mental health.
Anyone, for any reason, can experience something traumatic. Common traumatic experiences can include abuse of any kind, car accidents, being a veteran of war, or witnessing or being the victim of a crime. At its core, trauma, or post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD) is an emotional response to a highly distressing event.
Unfortunately, trauma symptoms don't have a set timeframe for when they will begin after the experience. It could be the following week, next month, or two years later. However, we do know that it doesn't matter how long ago the trauma occurred — It is absolutely possible to heal from trauma.
How To Heal From Trauma
Know the Symptoms
Maybe you've been experiencing challenging symptoms for a while, but you can't figure out why. Or, maybe you do know that some of these signs are likely linked to the traumatic experience. In either case, educating yourself about trauma and it's signs is an important beginning step. If you went through a hard situation, you might experience symptoms such as:
Nightmares
Flashbacks
Insomnia
Irritability
Anger issues
Changes in appetite
Headaches
Stomach aches
Avoidance of people, events, or similar places to the traumatic memory
Feeling triggered by certain smells, tastes, sounds, or sights.
This, of course, is not an exhausting list of symptoms associated with PTSD. And, not every person will experience trauma in the same exact way.
Practice Self-Compassion
Many trauma survivors grapple with self-doubt and hate. They often blame themselves wrongfully for what happened. They might say things to themselves like:
"How could I let this happen??"
"If only I had..."
"Maybe I shouldn't have even gone...."
or other similar statements. Know that no matter what or how something happened, it is never your fault. You didn't ask for something to happen or to go through something traumatizing. You don't, by any means, have to accept the past. There are some things we can never just accept that it occurred. There is nothing to forgive yourself fo. However, healing is less about accepting that something happened and instead focuses on moving past it.
Mindfulness
Do you find that you are actively trying to avoid thinking about the traumatic memory? Do you try to keep yourself as busy as possible out of fear of where your mind will go during your downtime?
While avoiding the memory seems like a good idea, it does more harm than good. Even though you aren't actively thinking about it, your brain still holds on to the memory. It's also a natural human reaction to avoid how we feel about certain things in our lives.
Practice mindfulness. Don't ruminate or judge what you went through, but instead focus on how you feel. Is it sadness? Anxious? Anger? A combination of feelings? Let yourself feel these emotions and so much more. It's uncomfortable, for sure, but avoiding them doesn't make them go away.
Take a Break
If you are feeling overwhelmed or experiencing something that triggers you, don't hesitate to take a step back and give yourself a break. Take a few deep breaths to try and calm yourself down or remove yourself from the situation entirely.
If you are feeling overwhelmed by everything lately, let others know that right now, you can't add more to your plate. Processing trauma and trying to work through those emotions is challenging enough. It's okay to admit that you need a mental health break.
If you are ready to get started on the path toward healing, don't hesitate to reach out to learn more about trauma therapy.