Finding Empowerment After Trauma
Trauma impacts each of us differently, but, on the whole, we often all experience a shift afterwards. We feel helpless, fearful, sad, and maybe even numb. These post-trauma responses make us feel isolated and withdrawn from the world around us and we often feel so disconnected from our old self. We feel like we have lost integral parts of ourselves forever. And, hey, it isn’t our fault. We are doing the best that we can to support and protect ourselves in the only way(s) we know how. But, you don’t have to lose yourself or experience the ripple effects of trauma forever.
There are ways to empower yourself after trauma. You can bring the light back into your life, find your self-confidence and stop trauma from defining who you are.
Here are some tips on how to feel empowered again after trauma
Understand Your Trauma—The first step on any recovery journey is being able to have an understanding of your trauma. You can work with a therapist to get really curious surrounding what happened and how it impacted you. By taking space to understand your trauma, you can change the lens you view your trauma through or even the relationship that you have with it.
Define What Empowerment Means to You–Get curious about what empowerment means to you. Does it mean that you get to reclaim your power? Is it about believing and trusting in yourself? Is it self-love? It can mean so many different things! Take the first steps and start holding space for what a more empowered version of yourself can look like.
Practice Positive Affirmations–After experiencing a trauma, many trauma survivors have a lot of negative thoughts about themselves that often take hold of and define their lives. To reach empowerment, it is important to spend time reprogramming the thoughts that you are having about yourself. And one way to do this is through the use of positive affirmations! Positive affirmations are designed to help quite the critical voice and change the inner dialogue that you have with yourself. Repeat the phrase(s) that you come up with when your negative thought surfaces. Maybe you write it down or say it outloud, figure out what works best for you. Drown yourself in positive self-love!
Channel Your Trauma Through Your Body–Trauma not only manifests mentally but physically as well. Finding a safe way to express your emotions in a physical way is an important component. It can be anything, like a mindful walk or run, a yoga or cycling class, whatever feels comfortable for your body and provides you with joy!
Ask for Help–Overcoming trauma is a joint effort and you don’t have to do it alone. Don’t be afraid to ask for support and talk with your supportive system when you need to. Whether you choose to speak with a friend, family member, or therapist, asking for help and talking about how you feel can help you process emotions that you may be experiencing. And this is also a huge step in becoming self-empowered! Asking for help is a way of putting yourself first which is empowering in itself.
As empowering as it can be to sit and heal from our trauma or shadows it can be uncomfortable, messy, and scary. However, acknowledging our trauma can promote resilience and allow you to grow in so many ways! Allowing yourself to heal, you can truly give you the space to rediscover yourself, bring back light and grow back stronger than ever.
