If you’ve lived through trauma, you might be suffering from low self-worth. Trauma can cause you to question your own value as a person. You may blame yourself for the event. Perhaps you’ve even opened up to people who implied that you somehow deserved what happened. Now, you might doubt whether you really deserve better treatment.
It’s hard to cultivate self-love after a traumatic event. This is especially true if you lived through numerous traumatic events without access to the support you needed. Building up your self-worth again takes time. These steps can help start a new chapter of your life defined by self-compassion.
Practice Physical Self-Care
Trauma influences your mental and physical health. While getting enough sleep, eating a healthy diet, moving your body regularly, and getting fresh air won’t cure the impacts of trauma, these habits can dramatically improve your wellbeing. Imagine these practices as forming a solid foundation for self-love.
By investing your time and energy in physical self-care on a daily basis, you internalize the belief that your wellbeing is worth prioritizing. You’ll carry this belief into your other relationships, enabling you to set healthier boundaries around how you deserve to be treated.
Make Time for Your Hobbies
In the aftermath of trauma, it can be hard to find joy in your daily life. You may find yourself ruminating on the traumatic events and struggling to focus on anything else. When you’re recovering from trauma, healthy distractions can be part of your healing process.
Shifting your attention towards hobbies you enjoy can gradually improve your mindset and help you create a more positive outlook. These activities could include sports, creative hobbies, baking, reading engaging books, and more. By pouring your time and energy into activities that bring you joy, you remind yourself that you have the right to pursue happiness.
Focus on Fulfilling Relationships
It can be difficult to heal in isolation. Yet at the same time, if you’re dealing with the effects of past trauma, you may feel uncomfortable or anxious around people whose behavior or characteristics remind you of your trauma. Identifying relationships where you feel truly safe and relaxed, and spending more time with these people, can be a transformative part of your healing process.
Find Things to Get Excited About
When you’ve experienced trauma, you might catch yourself thinking that you have nothing to look forward to in the future. It might seem like your trauma will always define you, and you’ll never be able to move past it. But you don’t have to make grand plans for the future to imagine there might be better things ahead.
Instead, think about small moments that lift your spirits. You might look forward to having coffee in the morning, taking a walk through your neighborhood after dinner, or going on a weekend hike. Turning your attention towards the little things that inspire gratitude can help you heal.
Consider Working with a Therapist
You do not have to navigate this journey entirely on your own. A therapist can provide a safe space for you to express your feelings and determine your goals for trauma recovery. You do not necessarily have to recount your trauma in detail in order to heal in therapy.
There are many approaches to trauma counseling, and you can contact therapists to ask more about their methods before booking a session. Many people find that connecting with the right therapist allows them to get comfortable forming trustworthy connections again.
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If you’re struggling to love yourself again after experiencing trauma, we encourage you to reach out to our team to learn more about our trauma counseling services.