My 10 daily practices to help begin turning trauma into success

Experiencing a Trauma can impact on our lives in so many different ways.

Our self-worth, our confidence, our ability to make decisions, our sleep, our health, and how we relate to the world in general can all take a hit.

And in it's wake, trauma often leaves feelings of self-blame and shame, and the misery of "iff only's".

If you have experienced an adverse event in your life, you may be familiar with some or all of these feelings, and feel hemmed in or trapped by them.

Coping with the life changing after affects of Trauma is very much part of my past and I can attest personally to how it can really cloud our ability to function and how it make us self-question ourselves to such a degree that we don't feel we can be helped, or indeed, that we deserve being helped.

In my day (as they say) Trauma and PTSD just weren't a thing. There weren't the relevant therapies and the trauma informed care practices available back then that are available today.

I was on my own and desperate to find a way to stop the horrible symptoms of PTSD that I had been living with for years,  I had to devise my own healing program. Intuitive I knew there had to be a way and I set to work finding it.

I tried so many things and experimented with all sorts and eventually I settled on what I now call my Toolbox of Healing Practices and below you will find the 10 practices that I took up that kickstarted the healing process for me and contributed to the end of the grip PTSD had held on my  life.  My healing took time but I got there and life took on new meaning, just like it will for you.

If you are in overwhelm, begin by choosing one of the practices and keep that up for one week and then add in another. I found that once I began taking charge of my mind and body that I began to feel more confident that I could heal my life.

Experience for yourself how powerful it feels to begin taking charge of your own healing.

Begin with the small things, don't look at the bigger picture, and keep at it.

1. Yin Yoga. I learnt how to practice it initially from a trained yoga instructor ( I strongly advise you also begin this way until you become familiar with the practice) then I used Youtube to deepen and expand my practice.  Through the process of reconnecting to our bodies, we can assist with the process of releasing stored trauma without having to find words. This, I found to be very cathartic.  Check out Basel Van De Kolk - The Body Keeps the Score to learn more about how our body stores trauma.
2. Believe in the possibility of change.  Imagine your life being better. When we have become traumatised, we often become trapped in looped thinking and our brain obsesses over what has happened.  Begin to imagine your life having peace and calm.  Visualise your own healing and take charge of any catastrophic thinking your brains throws at you. Keep at it, the brain needs you to reassure it that you are safe now.
3. Reach out to others.  Resist the urge to self isolate with your difficulties.  Research shows that we fare best in community.  Seek out support groups or forums where you can be among people who can empathise with you and support you.
4. Don't run away from your trauma. The more we face our traumas head on the less power they have over us.
5. Practice self-compassion.  Self-compassion means being warm and understanding to ourselves when we are suffering and not punishing or judging ourselves because of what's happened.
6. Search for meaning within your trauma. A crucial foundation for making positive change comes from meaning making and searching for a deeper understanding of ourselves through the lens of what has happened.
7. Search for the things you can be grateful for. Cultivating gratitude can help with creating a fresh outlook and help to broaden our perspective.
8. Practice breath work. Our breath connects us to our nervous system.  When we have been shocked and traumatised we don't breath fully and deeply and this can prolong our recovery.  The longer the out breath the more relaxed you will become.  Try yogic breathing to bring calm to your nervous system and to your brain in minutes by using some grounding breath work. Do it often, your nervous needs lots of soothing right now.  One of my favourites is Bharmari Pranayama (look on Youtube)
9. Practice focussing your mind on the present.  Notice your environment.  Notice your thoughts. Observe and allow any bodily sensations to come and go.  The more you train yourself to become present the more control you will develop over your frightened brain.  Remind yourself often that you are safe, and say it often.
10. Seek professional help.  You don't need to go it alone, nor should you.  Reach out!  I know how it feels to be exhausted and feeling hopeless because of what's happened. Healing from trauma is possible.  These practices will go a long way to getting your life in shape but sometimes we need more help, and that's why I'm here.  Reach out and come and chat to me.