How to Focus on Overcoming Your Childhood Trauma

Many people consider children to be resilient individuals who can get through even the toughest of times with smiles on their faces. However, children who go through certain types of trauma may experience the effects of that trauma for years to come, even as they grow older and become adults. Trauma typically occurs when a child is being harmed and no longer feels like they’re safe. Some of the different types of trauma include sexual abuse, physical abuse, and neglect.

Children who are bullied for extended periods may experience trauma. It’s something that often leads to emotional issues. If you’ve experienced trauma as a child and you’re not sure how to overcome the experiences you’ve gone through, there are several things you can do to ensure you have control and can get past everything that happened.

Address What Has Happened

Many of the people who’ve experienced different types of childhood trauma try to push it off and act like it wasn’t that big of a deal when it’s really something that bothers them and effects them into adulthood. Some people even blame themselves for what they’ve been put through, even though they’re not at fault. If you want to start the healing process, you must address what has happened to you and understand it’s not your fault.

Take Control

As someone who has been victimized in the past, it’s easy to let the past take control of your future. If you’re holding onto the pain, anger, and suffering, you’re continuing to allow that trauma to take over your life according to Clarity Clinic. The best way to start healing is to take control of the situation. Rather than seeing yourself as a victim, see yourself as a survivor - someone who is thriving despite those horrifying things that happened in the past.

Get Help From Others

Don’t be afraid to confide in a person you can trust. One of the best ways to heal from your trauma is to have someone you can connect with, talk to, and genuinely trust with everything you have to say. You may want to speak to a best friend about what you’ve been through, but if you’re worried your friend won’t understand, speaking to a counselor is always a great idea. There are even different support groups worth joining for people who’ve gone through some of the different types of childhood trauma.

Get Into a Healthy Routine

Take better care of yourself. If you’re eating properly and getting plenty of exercise, you’re keeping your mind distracted while giving yourself natural energy. The natural energy you have could help you cope with your stress a lot better than you would if you constantly felt sluggish, tired, and irritable.

Try to avoid alcohol and other substances that could become habit forming. You may think it’s a good idea to use these things to ease the pain you’ve gone through, but they’re only going to provide temporary relief, and they’re not going to help you overcome your trauma.

Don’t Live in the Past

Letting go is easier said than done, but you’re only hurting yourself if you continue to live in the past. You don’t have to agree with the trauma you’ve been through, but trying to put it in the past is a great way to start the healing process. You know something bad happened and you know that it caused you a lot of pain, but you’re ready to move forward because you want to live your best life instead of allowing those rough childhood memories to take over your mind.

Practice Better Habits

Find hobbies for you do to replace some of the bad habits you may currently have. For example, you might spend a lot of your time drinking alcohol as a way of coping with your feelings. However, drinking isn’t healthy for you. Joining a group for support or participating in different activities could keep you occupied while helping you find ways to enjoy life without drinking or using drugs.

Have Some Patience

You’ve been through a lot, so don’t expect to heal from the trauma overnight. You’re likely going through a lot of different emotions right now. As long as you’re working on overcoming the trauma by receiving support and doing things for yourself, you’ll eventually come out winning.