Trauma is a normal part of life and something that we are each going to experience at some point or another. In fact, most of us will have our fair share of trauma throughout our lives, and a big part of learning to live well is all about figuring out how to overcome that trauma as well as we can. That doesn’t mean pushing it away or hiding it, but actually learning how to manage it. In this article, we are going to take a look at this process in some detail, so you can know how to manage it better in your life.
Deal With Negative Memories
One of the worst things about real trauma is that it continues to live in you forever in the form of memories. For many people, the existence of these negative memories can be really upsetting and can cause a lot of trouble until they are dealt with properly. You need to learn how to deal with them as well as you can, therefore, which is not always going to be easy but it is nonetheless necessary. Most of all, you need to remember not to try and push those memories away or hope that they will one day vanish forever. Instead, you need to try and bring them in as safely as you can and try to get close to them, so that you become stronger in their presence.
If the memories are particularly painful, you should make sure that you do this with someone who knows what they are doing helping you along, such as a therapist. Or you might be able to do it yourself by merely working through it slowly and methodically. However you do it, dealing with those negative memories is always going to be an important part of moving on and overcoming trauma, so make sure that you are doing all you can to finally put the past to bed in this way.
Let Yourself Recover
The truth is that people always recover from trauma in some way eventually, even if it can take a long time. But we often make it more difficult and protracted by not just allowing the process to take place, and that only serves to draw out the pain and difficulty even more. Ultimately, you need to make sure that you are allowing yourself to recover, otherwise, things are not going to move in the right direction at all. If you think there might be a blockage here or you might be accidentally getting in the way of a natural process of recovery, then that is something you are going to want to interrupt. Do that, and things will naturally move in their own way, thereby ensuring that you are able to live again before too long.
Take Meaningful Action
Although it is perfectly normal and natural to need some period of rest after some trauma has occurred, you should also remember that there are many times when you need to take some form of action if you are to get ahead and improve things in your life. Usually, this will mean taking meaningful action that has something to do with the particular trauma you experienced. So if you have suffered the loss of a loved one, searching for a headstone and cemetery vases could be an example of meaningful action that you might wish to take. If you have been a victim of abuse, you might want to try and move away from the person causing it, if possible and if safe to do so. Whatever it is, taking some kind of meaningful action is important, as it allows you to show yourself that you believe in a better future and that you are keen to care for yourself.
Get Moving
Whether or not your traumatic experiences naturally dissipate in the mind, you can make things so much easier by just making a point of moving around a little more. The more that you exercise, the better you are going to feel, even if this might sound like a soft way of approaching trauma. It is actually very important, and there has been plenty of research to back up the idea that exercising regularly helps you to literally move on in life past your traumatic experiences. It doesn’t have to mean that you become an athlete – it’s just a case of not allowing yourself to sit on the sofa and swallow too much. When you are ready, try going for a run or doing some weight training at home or at the gym. You will likely start to feel a lot better before you know it.
Practice Mindfulness
As there is evidence for exercise being beneficial for trauma survivors, so too is there mounting evidence that practicing mindfulness can be helpful in many ways too. If you don’t currently practice mindfulness, you should consider whether this is something you want to take on board. If so, you can do so by simply starting up a meditation practice that you engage in every day. That can be as simple as sitting with closed eyes and focusing on the breath, allowing thoughts to come and go without letting them linger. Over time you will develop the ability to watch your thoughts happen dispassionately, and that can really help with dealing with your emotions and the other symptoms of trauma that might persist throughout your life.
Consider Counselling
Finally, if you really want to speed up your recovery, one of the things you can do is to consider counseling. With the right kind of counseling, you are going to probably find that overcoming your trauma is so much easier and more straightforward, and you will be helping yourself to move on so much faster in this way. Of course, it is often challenging to find the right counselor, but in time you should be able to do that, and that is going to be one of the best things you have ever done for yourself.
