With the constant hustle and bustle of life, it’s important you find some time to relax and recharge. Although this may at first seem impossible, there are a few ways in which you can step away and refuel, and every once in a while, just a few minutes of quiet time alone to collect your thoughts is really all you need.
Remember, you have full control over your own actions and reactions to daily stressors. It is important to learn how to move forward and heal in spite of obstacles. Instead of getting ‘stressed out’ or overwhelmed, you can learn to alter your perception of what’s happening in that moment. This is the concept of reframing. When negative thoughts creep in, try replacing them with positive affirmations.
Actively working toward being able to relax again is also vital in the posttraumatic state. Just as anything else that has to do with your health and well-being, doing so takes work. You can’t simply expect to wake up one day and be able to return to your pre-trauma mindset. You cannot reasonably believe, either, that it’s enough to run yourself into the ground and relax only you’re essentially forced to do so.
One way you can ensure you maintain balance amid the goal setting process is by scheduling a specific ‘worry time’ to review anything troubling you rather than constantly attempting to manage anxieties as they creep in. This will help you to relearn how to enjoy moments of stillness while, at the same time, allow you to reframing negative thought patterns and be able to handle stressful situations in a healthier manner.
Write down or mentally take note of anything pressing, and at your designated worry time (say, 8pm daily), sit down in a quiet place and come back to the list. You may just find that certain stressors they don’t feel as important in that moment than they did when they first crossed your mind. Only take the time the think through those that are still pressing and come up with short-term goals to alleviate anxiety.
You should also practice mindfulness regularly, taking things one day at a time even though you have created goals for yourself. The primary purpose of mindful self-reflection is to keep trauma from re-entering your space. You can also, in the process, begin to comprehend why trauma entered your space to begin with and accept your circumstances for what they are rather than suppress or deny them altogether. Refer to your self-care plan and incorporate both reframing and positive affirmations into your day-to-day while relearning to appreciate the present.
The healing journey is lifelong, and goal setting is simply a way to work through each step of this continual commitment. You must renew the promises you made to yourself each and every day and keep pushing forward, working toward well-deserved inner peace. Coming up with ways in which you can consider how you feel at any given moment will help you stay on track and live the life you’ve longed for.