"May we remember the difficult lesson that each offers more things than we can do.
May we do what needs to be done, postpone what does not, and be at peace with what we can be and do."
Richard Gilbert, Unitarian Universalist Minister
Whether your life and relationships are disrupted by trauma or loss, trying to cope on your own can be very difficult. Medication can help with the symptoms, but the psychological injury can’t be addressed with medication alone. In the self who looks back at us when we look in the mirror, psychological – sometimes even spiritual change – is necessary.
It can be a real struggle to move forward. We might wish to get back to normal overnight, but to heal, we need to learn from going through the struggle. As much as we might wish it not to be, the unexpected is an intrinsic part of life. We need to adjust our expectations and go easier on ourselves – be gentler with ourselves and forgive ourselves for failing to be perfect. We may have spent our lives giving all we can to others, but that’s left us with little to replenish ourselves. It’s time to refocus on us.
We might need to acknowledge we can’t save the world while we attend to healing ourselves. We might need to take a step back, take a little time to ourselves, and even what others might call “a little selfish”, while we rediscover who we are. In this way, we can replenish the energy we need to devote to others in the future.
How can we redefine ourselves? The answer is:
- Recognize you can’t do it all yourself – you need help,
- Be willing to invest time in yourself,
- Learn some ways to calm those physical and emotional impacts,
- Develop a vision for the new person you can become, and, last but not least,
- Build your NEW YOU in the world.
Once you are a registered client of Dr. Dawson’s, you will get access to resources to support you through all these steps!