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Trauma is more common than most people think.
You might’ve gone through something in childhood that you’re still struggling with now. Or, maybe you experienced a one-time traumatic event that still hasn’t left you.
The trauma you’re dealing with could also be more recent. Anything from an abusive relationship to a toxic workplace can trigger the effects of trauma in your mind.
Unfortunately, that can wreak havoc on other areas of your life and fuel conditions like anxiety and/or depression.
Thankfully, there are things you can do on a regular basis to overcome trauma.
Doing so can help you to take control of your life again and move forward without fear. Let’s look at a few of those helpful tips you can put into practice right away.
Practice Positive Affirmations
When you recognize your own trauma, it’s often easy to feel guilty or ashamed, even if you had no control over what happened. Positive affirmations can make a big difference.
Daily affirmations will help to boost your confidence and self-esteem. They will also keep overly negative thoughts from destroying your progress and sabotaging your day.
While positive affirmations are different for everyone, consider saying things like “I am worthy” or “I love myself” every day. Looking in a mirror while you say them can be even more beneficial.
While this practice might seem silly, at first, it only takes a matter of time before your own words really start to sink in and change your mindset.
Stay Active
There are some days when you might feel like staying in bed and shutting yourself away from the outside world. But, healing your mind can be easier when you take care of your body.
Exercise is a great thing to include in your trauma recovery. While exercising alone, won’t “cure” the effects of trauma, it can make it easier for other treatment avenues to be more effective.
Exercising can help you to feel stronger and more confident. From a mental health perspective, it also:
- boosts your mood,
- offers more energy, and
- can leave you feeling happy for a long period of time.
Self-care is a term that gets used a lot lately, and exercise is a form of that. If you’ve been through something traumatic, it’s one of the best ways to take care of yourself – inside and out.
You don’t have to run a marathon or go to the gym every day for exercise to be effective. Find ways to move your body that you genuinely enjoy, and you’ll be more likely to form a healthy habit.
Don’t Deal With Trauma Alone
One of the best things you can do to overcome trauma is to talk to a professional.
It’s easy to feel like you’re totally alone when you’ve gone through a traumatic event. Even if something happened years ago and you’re just accepting it now, those feelings of shame or even fear can keep you from getting the help you deserve.
Overcoming that barrier will be the best thing you ever do in terms of working through your trauma.
Reaching out for help is the first step in healing.
A therapist can help you to readdress what triggered your trauma, and work from there to develop strategies that will help you overcome it.
In addition to one-on-one therapy, having a support system in your life can make a big difference. You might consider attending a public support group for other trauma survivors. Hearing what other people have been through and how they’re coping can make it easier to feel like you’re part of a community, rather than dealing with it alone.
Even talking to family members and friends can help, but if you’re really struggling, a mental health professional is your best option.
