Step Three – Taking Action!
Now that you’ve rediscovered your roots and have laid out some goals for the future, it’s time to put your plan into action! Go ahead, shoot for the moon! At the very least, you’ll land among the stars. Keep a journal at your bedside to track your efforts. Reward yourself for your accomplishments. You can come up with a reward system of your own, such as “every time I reach xxxx, I will buy myself xxxx.”
This can literally be anything you’d like – a certain purchase, a trip to the spa, a night out – whatever motivates you! If you experience setbacks, jot these down, too. In no time at all, you’re sure to have pages of a beautiful journey recorded that you can look back on. Share with others if you’d like, or keep your sentiments to yourself.
As you’re journaling, note any feelings you experience along the way. Good and bad. Note how these fluctuate day to day. Note the reason they’re present, and for any negativity that arises, take a moment to remember the law of attraction. Ask yourself the following:
How can I find the good in this experience?
How can I learn from it?
What could I have done differently to change my circumstances?
What will I do about it going forward?
Remember that like attracts like – positive thoughts attract positivity. The more you practice the law of attraction in your steps, the more readily you’ll be able to find the good in everything, no matter what. After you have escaped narcissistic abuse, you will inevitably undergo a grieving cycle. There are five to seven stages to this cycle (depending on the resource you reference), but generally, the stages are: disbelief, denial, bargaining, guilt, anger, depression and acceptance.
Make a point to note where you are in this process as time passes. You’ll be pleasantly surprised to see that you’ll eventually make it through each stage, always with acceptance in mind. Everyone reaches acceptance at his or her own pace – honestly, some may never reach it. But, it is always the ultimate goal.
Take your time, and remember, no two experiences with abuse are the same, because no two people are the same. Life is not a race. You have already accomplished so much by escaping, and you must finish the journey at your own pace.