Life can be our greatest teacher…

Going through something challenging, can cement us so easily in the experience, the emotions and a ‘new’ identity. Knowing how to steer yourself through the unknown and back into the light is the most valuable lesson we can learn.

Acknowledge your experience

This does not only mean naming it, it means understanding what this experience means to the world around you but most importantly, what it means to you, personally. This ordeal that you have gone through may have changed the way you see yourself, how you believe other people will see you and may have directly affected your ability to socialise with your community. Acknowledge the situation for what it is; sometimes awful things happen to good people and it’s alright to have a strong, negative feeling about this.

Feel the pain 

So often, we are too busy putting on a brave face, that we avoid owning our feelings. As children, many of us were told it was wrong to be angry or to raise our voices, discounting our truth of the emotions we felt inside. As adults, the same feeling of repressing emotions is programmed into us. The truth is, the only way to get to the other side of an emotion is through it. The alternative? Bottling it all up inside of you, squeezing it into the depth of your body until those emotions spill over into your life, when it’s least expected, and manifests in a physical way. Forcing you to take notice of them until you decide to.

Be Honest 

Be honest with yourself, first and foremost, and when you feel able to, be honest with others. You may feel, at some point, during the period that follows your ordeal, that you have limitations. These are not weaknesses! These are, in fact, your treasures. Once you can identify a part of yourself that no longer feels willing to participate or act in a way you did previously, this is an aspect that is ready to heal. Listen to your body, it is telling you to slow down or make a change. Your body will guide you through what it needs, take the time to listen to it. Our recovery is not governed by our own time lines or our own expectations. The best you can offer yourself is surrendering to the process.

Allow Others 

Allowing yourself to be supported is the most crucial part of an experience. Without this ‘allowing’, you will constantly bump up against your recovery process. Make a conscious decision to seek out help and support that will uplift, guide, empower and hold you steady on your road to recovery. When we are in the thick of a situation, it is very difficult to see your strengths. Let someone on the outside, pull you out, and remind you of who you really are.

Sometimes, it takes a dark time to remind us of how strong our light is… Choose to be more than your experience.

Dealing with trauma is not something anyone should have to go through alone. Not only am I qualified to assist in trauma counselling, but I have personally been affected by own trauma and through my experience I can offer a safe, accepting and supporting environment so that you can come to terms with what you’ve been through and move forward with your life. Get in touch with me and allow me to help you become the strength of your experience.