If you suffered childhood trauma or have been through a lot, you may have, or still are, experiencing depression, anxiety, and stress. You may focus on habitual thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that literally take control of your brain and way of life. While these may start out as a way of survival in childhood, your mind and body develop and continue protective tactics, especially when going through something challenging.
The problem is they tend to stay around long after the trauma has occurred and can be crippling, leaving a dark cloud that hovers over our lives. After experiencing childhood trauma, whether it is physically, mentally, or emotionally, your ‘fight or flight’ system can be activated all the time.
For some, this never gets turned off, and we live with a chronic stress response, haunted by a constant sense of fear that restricts our thoughts, emotions, reactions, and behaviors that were conditioned by that childhood trauma long after it is gone.
We can heal our brains by making a shift in our mindset. We do not have to remain stuck in what happened and can choose to think differently, interpret our world differently, see a brighter future, and embrace hope and joy, intentionally. Our brain is capable of healing and change so you can find your way back to yourself again. Here are some steps to take to retrain your brain:
- Take care of your body because that will help improve your mental health.
- Treat yourself with kindness, respect, and avoid negative self-talk.
- Take the time to meditate to quiet your mind – close your eyes and focus on your breath.
- Create a mantra to repeat to yourself, “I am happy” or “Today is beautiful.”
- Write down what you are grateful for to focus on the positive in your life.
You can move on from childhood trauma and live your best life by transforming a negative into a positive. We all have thoughts that might dominate our minds.
Whatever it is, take that main issue or troubling memory and turn it into an affirmation. I have found Katie Byron’s The Work to be very helpful in reframing your destructive thinking patterns.