Overcoming Trauma: Strategies for Growth

For most of my life, I have experienced the challenges of anxiety and dysregulation. Seeking ways to find calm and distraction became a constant pursuit. Today, regulating my nervous system remains an ongoing practice. Throughout the years, I discovered a life-changing mind-body connection by focusing on breathing and movement.

Today, I continue to prioritize mindful breathing as the fastest and simplest method to regulate my nervous system. Throughout the years, I’ve also come up with other strategies to heal from trauma, and keep moving forward. I’m excited to share those with you today.

Trauma is a significant issue that affects many people. It can take a significant toll on our emotional, mental, and physical health. It can be challenging and maybe counter productive to worry about how to manage time and productivity when we’re dealing with trauma.

It’s important to acknowledge that trauma is not something that can be easily overcome. It’s essential to prioritize healing before we start thinking about time management and productivity.

We need to focus on healing our bodies and minds before we can even begin to strategize our survival and begin to thrive. Once we’ve made progress on our healing journey, we can start to create and re-create our goals and purpose statements, prioritize our time, and figure out how to live our best lives.

Breaking the Cycle: Trauma, Poverty, and the Impact on Mental Health

Scientific studies have shown that individuals who have faced poverty, discrimination, and trauma caused by legislation that has targeted entire communities for generations and still today, including black and native communities, the LGBT community, and those living with disabilities, are more likely to experience ongoing anxiety, depression, and trauma. Especially those who live in the intersection of marginalized communities.

Growing up in environments where trauma persists makes finding the necessary tools for rest and nervous system regulation much more challenging. As a result, healing in these communities will look different and be more nuanced than I can explain in one blog post.

Embracing Radical Acceptance: Transforming Internal Narratives

Embracing the concept of radical acceptance allows us to accept reality without judgment, leading to transformative shifts in our internal narratives. Through radical acceptance, we can learn to trust ourselves and our ability to face challenges head-on. By acknowledging the truth of our circumstances, we can begin practicing survival strategies and strive to live our best lives.

This, in no way, means that we don’t feel angry at the injustices that exist in this world; it does mean that we regulate our emotions to a point where we take care of our health first.

Priority of Basics: Nurturing the Body in the Healing Process

During the aftermath of a traumatic event or the initial stages of healing, it is crucial to prioritize the basics. Nourishing our bodies with food, getting sufficient sleep, engaging in movement, and fostering safe social connections play integral roles in protecting and calming our bodies. This, and any activity that will allow you to do as much of those four main pillars of recovery as possible, are the only priority during these times.

Research has highlighted the physical exhaustion caused by trauma, emphasizing the significance of prioritizing bodily healing. When the body is not in a “fight-or-flight” state, it has the ability to heal and start restoring.

Mind-Numbing Moments: Rest and Recovery in the Midst of Trauma

In the early stages of healing, it is okay to engage in mind-numbing activities such as playing video games, watching TV, or making light conversation with a trusted friend. Healing takes time, and circumstances may not always permit extended breaks from work to address traumas. Rest, focus on the essentials, and find healthy ways to calm both body and mind. Gentle, slow movements also make a big impact on regulating our nervous system.

Don’t worry about addressing or working through the trauma right away. In future blog posts, I will talk about some of the most effective ways I’ve used to help calm my body to get me to a state where I feel safe to work through the trauma. Today, I want to focus on the most fundamental one: breathing practices.

Breathing as the Foundation: Regulating the Nervous System

Breathing practices serve as the fundamental and simplest means to regulate the body, soothe the nervous system, and commence the healing process. By directing our attention to regulated breathing, we can transition from the sympathetic nervous system reaction (fight-or-flight) to the parasympathetic state (regulation and recovery). The good new is, you can practice this at any point during the day. Whether it’s at work or in bed, this is the most accessible way to regulate your nervous system, and pull your body out of fight-or-flight mode.

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Regulating the nervous system is vital for overall well-being, especially for those who have endured trauma. It is crucial to understand that healing from long-term and generational trauma is a unique journey for each individual, necessitating time and patience. By accepting our reality, changing our internal narratives, prioritizing basic needs, and embracing breathing practices to regulate the nervous system, we can embark on the path to healing and growth. Let us move forward together, knowing that we have the power to heal from trauma and build brighter futures.

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Healing from trauma can be a long and difficult journey, but it doesn’t have to be a lonely one. When we share our experiences and strategies with others, we can learn from each other and build community. Healing in community can be ten times more effective than healing alone.

That’s what is great about the internet – we can create a community where we heal collectively. I invite you to subscribe to my blog and leave comments, fostering a sense of community where we can heal, strategize survival techniques, and empower each other to thrive. Together, let’s build a resilient community, heal collectively, and embark on the journey towards a fulfilling and purpose-driven life.

Read more about the effects of poverty, and how breathing helps regulate the nervous system.

Read more about diaphragmatic breathing and more of it’s beneficial effects in my previous blog here: Breathe Life Into Your Health and Fitness with Diaphragmatic Breathing

1. “The Trauma of Living in Poverty” from the American Psychological Association: https://www.apa.org/pi/ses/resources/publications/living-in-poverty

Excerpt: “Poverty has been linked with negative health outcomes, including high rates of mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. Research shows that the chronic stress of living in poverty can lead to physical changes in the brain that can increase the risk of mental illness. Childhood poverty has also been linked to negative outcomes such as poor academic performance and limited job opportunities.”

2. “Breathing-based meditation decreases posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in U.S. military veterans: A randomized controlled longitudinal study” from the Journal of Traumatic Stress: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jts.22169

Excerpt: “The study found that participants who practiced breathing-based meditation had significant reductions in PTSD symptoms, depression, and anxiety compared to the control group. The authors suggest that breathing-based meditation may be a useful tool in the treatment of PTSD.”

3. “How Poverty Taxes the Brain” from Scientific American: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-poverty-taxes-the-brain/

Excerpt: “The chronic stress of poverty can lead to a cognitive load that impairs decision-making, problem-solving, and other mental processes. Researchers have found that poverty can lead to changes in the brain that affect memory, attention, and executive function.”

4. “Breathing-based meditation and vagal function: A comprehensive review” from the International Journal of Psychophysiology: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167876019301389

Excerpt: “The study found that breathing-based meditation was effective in increasing heart rate variability (HRV) and vagal function, which are markers of parasympathetic nervous system activity. The authors suggest that this may be one of the mechanisms by which breathing-based meditation improves physiological and psychological health.”

Watch this video by Andrew Huberman on Erasing Fears & Traumas Based on Modern Neuro Science