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“Don’t give up because of one bad chapter in your life. Keep going. Your story doesn’t end here.”
Traumatic experiences are “any situation that leaves you feeling overwhelmed and alone, even if it doesn’t involve physical harm.” Traumatic experiences give us bad memories that linger into our subconscious, setting the world as a frightening and dangerous place. But what we do with the pain is more important than the pain itself.
“All your feelings are legitimate. It’s important to feel them fully, and then move on,” Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Holly Brown notes. It’s easier said than done, especially if you were hurt multiple times in your childhood by the people who were supposed to nurture you. Psychologists refer to this as “complex trauma.” The effects of complex trauma are pervasive and severely damaging as it interferes with a child’s ability to form a secure attachment bond. Accordingly, the child can have cognitive and affective difficulties that will ruin his chance of living a happy, normal life.
As clichéd as it sounds, you have to let go despite the indifference of the people who’ve caused you pain. Ruminating over the past will only hurt your present and your future, leaving you stuck. You need to take responsibility for your own happiness and not let anyone have such power to ruin your life.
In his book “Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience,” author Steve Maraboli states, “The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you realize that the situation is over, you cannot move forward.”
