Taking Control of your Life after Trauma

Sharon Moore March 09, 2015

Many people who experienced psychiatric disorder or had gone through some traumatic events could feel that they no longer have power to control their life even after recovery. You may find yourself feeling scared about making decisions, especially major ones. And even when you are doing much better, others (such as family and friends) may continue making decisions in your behalf. And often, their decisions are not actually those you could have chosen.

Taking control of your life is essential to your well-being, and speeds up your recovery even more. And although the process can be somehow challenging, there are a few good steps you can try.

Decide what you want.

Getting the control back in your life starts with deciding what you really want. Think about what you really want, not what your parents or friends want for you. If money or circumstance weren’t an issue, what would be that something you would want to pursue? When we really know what we want and believe we can have it, there are magical forces that help us materialise that goal.

Check in with yourself.

Make it a habit to check in with yourself on a daily basis. Take a few minutes to benefit from some time alone. Reflect on your goals and intentions for the week. Humans as we are, we do forget sometimes. One of the amazing things is looking back over the month and identifying your accomplishments without even realising it.

Forgive.

This is not an easy task. Holding on to past hurts can hold you back from living the life you truly want. By holding a grudge, you are also harbouring negative energy, which is a very poisonous one. You can’t ever live a happy and fulfilling life if you are burdened with the hurts of the past. Those difficult experiences you had will burden you and prevent you from taking full control of your life.

Compete with no one but yourself.

Sometimes, we become too busy looking around us that we forget to look on our own path. And the more we look at others, the more we wonder if we are good enough, and the more we doubt our abilities to take control of things and make our own decisions. Be grateful for where you are and the things you have achieved. Every day is a fresh new start. Be grateful of what you have achieved so far.

Always do your best.

It can easily make you feel more in control and proud of your decisions when you always do your best. Whether you’re making pasta, writing a blog, cleaning your room, or supervising a huge project at work, always give it your best shot. Knowing you are capable of doing things better gives you a great feeling of accomplishment and pride.

Change your attitude.

Your attitude does impact your well-being dramatically. Negative energy begets negative thoughts and negative actions. Some days will be bad – really bad. But if you keep your composure and positive perspective, you will surely get through these days. It is your attitude that will define the outcome of every challenge that you will face.

Don’t hesitate to seek help.

Your therapy sessions might be over. But that doesn’t mean you can no longer seek additional help. Be honest about this challenge you are facing. Tell your therapist that you are struggling with taking control of your life once more. Your therapist can teach you more strategies to deal with this issue.

Owning our lives after trauma or psychiatric disorder can seem a bit overwhelming at first. But you don’t have to take a drastic approach. You can start small and turn everything into a habit as you go along. In no time, you will begin to experience a great difference.