This year started off very productive and seeming to be a year of progression. Sadly enough, it was a painful roller coaster ride. After nineteen years of the same medication regiment, it stopped working. It caused my mental health to get progressively worse for months. I am doing a lot better, but the symptoms of mental health relapse added to my painful memories.
Letting go is not so easy to do. There are sounds, scenes in movies, smells, and words that trigger memories or flashbacks. The effects of trauma can be lifelong.
Memories from trauma can be agonizing early on. With time, they can become less intense. They will also begin to be less frequent. It will take to learn to live with them, but it does get better. I have lived many years of trauma, and it’s rough, but it does get better.
There are a few things that help. You can find a therapist, take up a hobby, exercise, read, journal, join a support group, volunteer, church, pray, or spend time with friends. You don’t have to do all of these. It is good to pick the ones that work for you.
There are a few things that can make the traumatic memories worse. These can include self-medicating with drugs and alcohol, isolation, no positive social life, lack of sleep, lack of support, struggling to manage stress, and lack of positive coping skills.
You do not have to have life after trauma, all figured out. It’s okay to take things one step at a time. Sometimes, it feels like it’s a setback, but with time, you can begin to rebuild your life. In order to move forward, you look ahead to the future and deal with the issues of your past. It will not be easy, but it does allow you to heal.
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own yet, but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead. (Philippians 3:13).
Be blessed and take life one day at a time.
Resilient Inspired Spiritual Excellence R.I.S.E. 