#therapy toolbox

i think a lot of us are very upset and agitated and even triggered by the current trial and its horrible treatment in the media and on social media. i wanna take this moment to ask you to stop doomscrolling and take a step back from the internet. do some calming breathing exercises or the butterfly hug. if at all possible, go outside and walk around for a bit. if you feel like you're not in your body or the world around you isn't real, try naming 5 things you see, hear, and feel (then 4, then 3, then 2, then 1). eat something filling and fulfilling. drink enough water. take a shower if you feel like it, or splash your face with water. you are valuable and you deserve to take care of yourself. you are safe.

the head psychiatrist at the trauma ward told me the other day that in situations that are triggering or even put me into a state of emotional flashback, i should think of the child that went through the trauma in question like my little sibling. instead of attempting to ignore them or leaving them to deal with this situation alone, i should picture my inner wounded child, take them by the hand and talk to them: "this is what happened to you, but you are safe right now. you got out of that alive and you're okay." she told me it's often easier to treat your inner child(ren) as their own, separate entity because we are usually cruel and judgemental to ourselves, but not to others, and this way we can extend empathy and care to our wounded and confused parts of ourselves

when you've been locking up your pain for so long, some crying and wailing and screaming can really help. allow yourself to really feel those things that you're scared of, and let them out in a safe environment (alone, with a therapist or loved one). that's how we work through our grief and anger. it's exhausting, but also liberating.