3 Ways To Start The Healing Process
Trauma is something that happens to many people whether it be emotional or physical. In fact, according to the National Council for behavioral health, 70% of adults in the U.S have experienced some type of traumatic event in their lives. That’s about 223.4 million people. If you are healing from trauma you aren’t alone.
Trauma can stem from many different places including childhood abuse, sexual abuse, natural disasters, medical experiences, loss of a loved one, violence, and many other areas. It can be painful to overcome, but with the right tools and a little help from a mental health professional, you can and will overcome trauma. Try out these tips when it comes to healing from trauma.
Avoid Isolation
Sometimes it’s nice to have a bit of alone time. When we are in pain, many of us just want to be alone and not bothered by anyone or anything. Here’s the thing, too much isolation could be putting you deeper into a hole rather than pulling you out of your traumatic pain. Rather than completely isolating yourself, it’s important that you reach out to someone you trust to talk about your pain and what you are going through. If you aren’t 100% ready to have open communication yet, that’s ok. Take baby steps to build up your strength to face your trauma.
Try grabbing a pen and some paper to write down what you are experiencing. Practice talking about it in the mirror and when you are ready, have the conversation with someone who will be willing to listen to you and can provide an outside perspective. If you want to save the talking for sessions with your mental health professional, that’s ok too! Try these activities out to avoid isolation:
Head out to the park for a walk outside
Pick up the phone and call a family member or friend
Play a game with an online community
Join a support group that embraces open communication
Road trip with a friend
Learn to bake something tasty to share with a neighbor
It’s important to break up that isolation, even if it’s just for an hour or so each day.
Face Your Fear (With a Professional)
We see a doctor when we have pain in our bodies because they’ve been trained to identify what is going on. When we have pain in our minds, we should be seeing someone who is trained to identify what is going on and help us to understand it too.
Mental health professionals such as therapists are trained to help you face your fears and overcome your trauma. Regular sessions and discussions with a therapist can help you to uncover the root of your trauma and create a plan to overcome it so you can move forward.
Avoid Alcohol/ Drug Dependencies
Grabbing a glass of wine, or a cocktail is the choice many adults make to help numb their pain or stress from a traumatic event. While drinking in moderation is not a huge problem, drinking to help tuck those bad memories away can become a major problem. While this might work in the short term, you can start to develop a long term dependency which can lead to alcoholism. This is the same for any drugs that might be used to try and numb the pain.
Rather than turning to these substances, try fighting the pain with something better for your body. If you are stressed and frustrated, try boxing it out or running to let off that steam. If you are sad, try writing some poetry or painting to express those emotions. Keep yourself busy by creating a routine, exercising, learning a new hobby, or picking up the phone to call your family and friends.
Healing from trauma can be a challenge but it’s 100% possible. It’s all about healing from the root of the trauma and changing your mindset. Avoiding isolation, avoiding alcohol and drug dependencies, as well as seeking help from a mental health professional are all ways that can help you heal from your trauma.
Need a little help on your journey? KQH Mental Health Counseling is here for you. Contact us today to get started on your healing journey.
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