Happy 2019! As we enter into a new year, it’s important to make a promise to yourself – or renew a promise to yourself – to continue moving forward on this healing journey. We’ve discussed many tangible ways in which you can mitigate the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and keep these symptoms at bay, so a newfound sense of completeness can be achieved in this second draft of life.
Employing mindfulness and heartfulness techniques, such as yoga, meditation, journaling, and setting aside a few extra moments for self-reflection each day are ways in which we can fulfill this promise to ourselves. The new year offers us an opportunity to accomplish that which may have still been beyond our reach in 2018. It allows us to start over, if we have to, and make more of a concerted effort to prioritize self-care.
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
And, if you’ve felt unable to take this first step in previous months, now is the time to take a deep breath and dive in. The energy that surrounds a new year is that of renewal and revival, a deeper understanding of what life is all about, and a surge of motivation to achieve. Use this energy to your benefit! Take advantage of it and the positivity that comes along with feeling as if anything is possible.
Remember, happiness is a choice.
It is an elusive emotion that we have a choice to experience at the start of each new day. We should be thankful for each day we’re given the opportunity to wake up and choose joy. If you’ve felt happiness was far too fleeting in the previous year, if you’ve felt too weak to work toward sustainable recovery, there’s good news. You are given a new chance every morning to start over and make a lasting promise to experience the blessings life has to offer.
In 2019, strive to move past surviving to thriving.
Recovering from PTSD is not easy. It is a lifelong process that includes continually renewing a promise to yourself to heal. Because recovery is not easy or a one and done process, many allow themselves to slip back to the traumatic state they’ve escaped or make it so far and stop, stagnating in a state of discontentment.
Self-care is not selfish. It is vital for those who have survived trauma to embrace and make room for in this second draft. Resolutions designed to ensure self-care is incorporated into your day-to-day schedule can motivate you to accept where you’ve been and continue focusing on where you still need to go.
Release the clutches of the trauma that you’ve unwittingly experienced and from which you’ve effectively escaped. You released this trauma physically and now you have the make a conscious effort to revive wholeness mentally and emotionally. Refuse to stay imprisoned and free yourself today.
Many blessings for a happy and healthy new year! You’ve got this.