Overcoming Trauma: 13 Steps to Inner Peace and Healing

Trauma can happen to anyone at any time. It can leave lasting scars and make it challenging to move forward with life. However, it is crucial to understand that even if trauma has left you feeling hurt and angry, it is possible to heal and move past it. Not only is it possible, it’s mandatory.

There’s a popular quote by Nikita Gill: “If you don’t heal what hurt you, you will bleed all over those who didn’t cut you.“ Read that again. Here are 13 steps to overcoming trauma so you can move on in freedom from pain and embrace inner peace once and for all.

13 Steps to Overcoming Trauma and Reclaiming Inner Peace

Here are 13 steps to overcoming trauma, letting go of the past, and moving on in joy, freedom, inner peace, and release from hurt and anger.

Identify and Acknowledge the Trauma

This is the first and essential step. Find the strength to face the events and accept and own the pain. We often want to bury our past and not face it, but that’s not good for anyone. It’s important to face it and deal with it. You can’t hide it forever.

Too often, we like to ‘bury the pain’ and carry on with life like the trauma doesn’t matter, but that’s not effective at all. It’s crucial to deal with it and heal from it so you don’t carry around all the pain.

Talk to a Professional

Trauma can create an overwhelming sense of anxiety, hurt, and anger. Often, we don’t know how to handle these emotions, and we aren’t equipped to deal with them. Reach out to a trusted therapist who has experience dealing with traumatic situations. They can offer solutions and tools to help you cope and heal.

There are also many free helplines available on the internet if you are having a crisis.

Meditation and Relaxation

Incorporating meditation and relaxation techniques such as deep breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, or yoga can help ease anxiety and provide mental calm. If you have been triggered by trauma, step away from the situation, find a space where you can be alone, and breathe through it.

Know that you’ll be okay and you’ll get through this. Anxiety attacks are temporary, but using effective breathing techniques will help reduce them and their effect on you.

Surround Yourself With Supportive Friends or Family

Being surrounded by supportive friends and family members helps to ease the anxiety and pain you may be feeling. Sharing the burden can provide relief and strength. Chances are, many of them know exactly what you are going through and can offer a shoulder to cry on or an ear to listen.

Next time you are hit with a trigger from trauma, reach out to a trusted friend to talk.

Cut Off Toxic Relationships

Sometimes, the people we spend our time with can trigger trauma from the past. Some deliberately, others unknowingly. When we spend time with toxic people, chances are, our trauma will be triggered time and time again.

It’s exhausting and so damaging to your mental health. It may be time to cut out all toxic relationships.

Speak Up

Sharing your story with others can be powerful. It can inspire others who have been through similar challenges and provide a sense of control and ownership over your past. When we share our trauma stories with those who understand it, it gives us a sense of comfort knowing we’re not alone.

Not to mention, it’s great to get it off your chest, too! Don’t bottle it all up.

Join a Support Group For Trauma Survivors

Find and join a trauma survivor group. These groups are excellent for helping you feel safe and understood. These people get you. Find comfort in shared experiences, provide encouragement, and serve as motivation for others.

These groups can often be found online or at your local library, church, cafe, community center, etc. Ask around.

Create a Safe and Private Space

Create a relaxing, secure space where you feel safe with your thoughts and pain. Sometimes, we want to be alone and not disturbed.

Set boundaries with others if you share a home and let them know you need alone time. Hopefully, they will respect that!

Do Things You Love

Engaging in art, music, or gardening can help clear your mind and give you a sense of freedom. Maybe you love going to the dog park and watching dogs run around. Or maybe you love feeding chipmunks or swans. Maybe knitting or painting is your thing. Whatever it is, do more of that.

Self-care is important while we’re trying to heal through trauma and work on ourselves.

Practice Forgiveness

Forgiveness can provide closure and bring peace. I understand this is a tough one, but holding onto bitterness and resentment only prolongs and increases the pain. We want the pain to go away, but it never will if you hold on tight to it.

Forgive and release it. Write a forgiveness letter to the person who hurt you and burn it when you’re done. It’s very therapeutic.

Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle

Adopting a healthy lifestyle and paying attention to healthy living can help improve mood and overall well-being. Remember, we are what we eat, and certain foods can increase depression and mood swings.

Try to eat healthier and get some exercise daily. Even 15 minutes a day can make a world of difference.

Write Your Thoughts Down

Writing your thoughts in a journal can help with self-reflection, identify patterns, and help make sense of your thoughts and feelings. Keeping everything inside is unhealthy.

When we write things out in a private journal, those feelings of anger, hurt, and hate are no longer trapped inside. I can’t stress how therapeutic writing is.

Stay Committed to Your Healing Journey

It will be exhausting and frustrating, but it’s important that you don’t give up on yourself or your healing journey. Remember, you are worth it, and it’s time that you heal from your past so you can move forward with joy and inner peace.

Holding on to all the anger and pain will continue to damage your mental and physical health. You deserve to heal and move on.

final thoughts on overcoming trauma

happy woman in mirror — Photo credit: Shutterstock.

Overcoming trauma from the past is not a quick or easy process, and it is important to remember that it takes time. Identifying the different ways to overcome it is the primary step toward healing. With time, effort, hard work, and dedication, it is possible to move past the past and begin a new, happier life.

Each day, start anew, approach it one step at a time, and remember to keep going. Stay positive, stay strong, and keep moving forward to a brighter tomorrow.