This morning, I feel lost.
I feel scared.
I feel uncertain, anxious, and a little overwhelmed.

I’m not sure where these feelings came from, but they’re here.

They remind me of how I lived for nearly 20 years.

I know these are feelings, not facts.
I know they’re not the truth.

Still, that doesn’t make them easy.

Yesterday, my wife and I drove to Costco and Trader Joe’s. It’s about a two-hour trip one way, so I took the day off and we made a day of it.

Overall, it was a good day.

But as the day went on, I noticed myself becoming more impatient, especially once we got into Trader Joe’s. That’s when the anxiety started creeping in, and I felt ready to leave.

This is what the healing journey actually looks like.

I could feel myself getting close to my limit.

So I stayed aware of my thoughts, noticed what was happening in my body, and worked through it the best I could.

Did I handle everything perfectly?

No, and that’s never the goal.

Healing isn’t about pushing yourself past your breaking point.
It’s about stretching toward that point, and then backing off.

Sometimes we don’t have a choice and have to ride the wave. Yesterday was one of those days.

I focused on staying present.
I breathed.
I noticed the triggers as they layered one on top of the other.

And here’s the important part:

When those layers start stacking quickly and you feel more vulnerable, if you can step away and take a breather, do it.

For me, Trader Joe’s is one of those places that always pushes my nervous system. It lights up all my senses and requires extra awareness and regulation.

It would be nice if these reactions just disappeared, but they don’t.

Life still happens.
Triggers still show up.

Healing is a journey.

The goal isn’t to never be triggered, it’s to respond a little better than we did before, especially in situations that once caused us to crumble.

That’s progress.

We’re not always going to get it right.

But we can learn from the moments we don’t, and apply those lessons next time.

That’s how healing happens:
Repetition.
Practice.
More reps.

I’m not going to be hard on myself for how I felt or how I responded yesterday.

Instead, I’m going to take it all in and ask:

That’s it.

In the past, I would have beaten myself up and spiraled into negative self-talk.

That shame would’ve kept me stuck for days.

That’s what we don’t want.

We don’t want shame and guilt to take over.
We don’t want the old lies formed through trauma to run the show.

Because those lies aren’t who we are.

And they never were.

Stay positive and take action!

Thank you for your support!

Resources: For resources, my programs, or to schedule a 30-minute discovery call, visit my website by clicking here.

NEW: I’ve started a private Facebook community called Survivor to Thriver Community: Healing, Support, and Growth. This community is by invite only. I want it to be a place where survivors can go to receive support from others that understand what they’re going through. If you’re interested, please send me an email at [email protected] and let me know you want to join and I’ll send you an invite.