I was talking to a beautiful client the other day and we found that we had a shared experience.
Both of us at some point in our lives had suffered from trauma, like most of us let’s be honest. And over the years we’ve reached out for help. And sometimes that help said, imagine being peaceful, imagine the stillness, imagine not feeling anxious and bring that feeling in to yourself. And we both said. At that point in our life, how the hell were we supposed to do that when we didn’t know or remember what that all feels like?
And it’s the same for trust. We’re often told to go within and trust ourselves. But if you’ve experienced trauma, that’s also a foreign concept.
Trauma healing is a long road. We want to feel better. We want to hope that one day it won’t own us. And we want so desperately to feel better.
I want to remind you that one day you will.
It will happen bit by bit. When your nervous system finally gets the message that all is now safe and it doesn’t have to be on high alert, all the things you were told to imagine, become a reality.
Your anxiety, your trauma responses, your disconnection and numbness, all stem from a physiological response your body has when it feels threatened and it’s designed to protect you. I say well done you and well done body. You did it. You kept safe. Thank you.
Now it’s time to let your body know that you are safe. How do you do this?
One step at a time. One act at a time. One process you find works for you. And for me, when I was experiencing moments of anxiety or panic or disassociation, my way, was to not force my mind to think of anything other than this:
🍁hands on my heart
🍁breathing mindfully
🍁eyes looking around where I am (this tells your nervous system you are actively listening to it by looking for danger or safety)
🍁words spoken either in my head or out loud – Safe. I am safe.
🍁breathe. I am safe. breathe. I am safe
This is the first step to feeling safe in your own body again. This is the first step to being able to calm your anxious stomach down and be able to “hear” what your gut instinct is saying.
This is a first step to being able to trust in yourself again.
