New Year, Old Trauma - Is that you?
“The book is called Opportunity, and its first chapter is New Year’s Day. ”
Words to live by when entering 2023.
It’s that time of the year again…
I’m proud of you. Despite how hard 2022 has been, you made it to 2023. That’s a significant accomplishment, and I want you to understand that! It was hard; you wanted to give up so many times last year - but you didn’t. You kept pushing, and you’re a better person for it. Even if nobody else claps for you, know I am clapping for you.
Now that you’ve made it another year, I have a serious question: How do you plan on making it through 2023? All jokes aside, I genuinely want to know your game plan. Because if you take old trauma into the new year, you may face some difficulties, and I don’t want that for you.
“Trauma is a fact of life. It does not, however, have to be a life sentence.”
New Year, Old Trauma.
Unresolved situations. The closure has yet to be received. Wounds are still exposed from the knives in your back. All traumatic experiences that you may very well be carrying into this year. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t doing the same. I worked hard to get over everything that hurt last year, but it’s a work in progress. One that if I don’t continue to pursue, my new year can be riddled with old issues. The same goes for you, so let’s commit to changing that.
Unpacking Trauma - How?
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Let’s not go into the New Year pretending or avoiding. You’re still hurt - and that’s ok. Acknowledge your trauma.
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You’ve acknowledged that you’re hurting - now it’s time to break it down. Dissect every part of the traumatic experience(s) you haven’t been able to overcome.
The who, the what, the why. Please write it down, and talk about it. Take some time to understand the trauma. It may feel like you’re reliving it - but in reality, you’re just facing it.
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Often, we spend a significant amount of time beating ourselves up for the trauma we’ve been subjected to. You don’t deserve that. Please forgive yourself.
On that same note, forgive those who hurt you. Listen - I never said forgiving would be easy, but trust me, it should be done.
The steps above are not an all-inclusive list of how to unpack trauma. It is a great starting point. If you don’t do the abovementioned things, I am not sure you’d get too far.
One day at a time . . .
I get it. The year just started, and here I am, telling you that you have already let go of the trauma from last year. But I want you to remember that I am not asking you to expedite this healing process. I’m merely asking you to commit yourself not to allow old trauma to hinder you in the new year.
“Stop being a prisoner of your past. Become an architect of your future.”
