Discouragement. It happens on the path of recovery. A few weeks ago, I grabbed my journal and listed everything I needed to overcome. Once I wrote it all on paper, I felt overwhelmed. Discouragement flooded over me. "There's too much to overcome," I mumbled out loud. And the list? Depression, anxiety, PTSD, and emotional eating. It’s quite the list.
It took me days before I could write down my plan for tackling each item on the list. While I was already doing almost everything I wrote down, it felt reassuring to see it in ink. I needed encouragement, and writing down my plan gave me some. It gave me hope. At the end of the day, when we lay our heads on our pillows, we need hope. We who survived childhood trauma need hope that we will overcome.
That hope won’t come from without. It won’t come from a person, book, or circumstance. It comes from within us. We must reach deep within our souls and pull out hope. We choose to not give in to discouragement, no matter how loud it knocks on our minds. It takes effort. For me, it means grabbing my journal and writing down at least a few paragraphs of encouragement. I am an encourager by nature. I like encouraging others. It’s not always easy to encourage myself, but I do it anyway.
The robber named shame
Shame. It whispers our names. It tells us that we are not enough. It engulfs us in feelings of worthlessness. It invades our thoughts with negativity about ourselves. Shame keeps us stuck in negativity. Shame is tormenting, and the lyrics from a song say it best.“Oh, shame is a prison as cruel as a grave. Shame is a robber, and he's come to take my name.”
“Toxic shame, the shame that binds you, is experienced as the all-pervasive sense that I am flawed and defective as a human being.” John Bradshaw
One of the best ways to send shame packing is to remind ourselves every day that we are enough. Yes, that includes you reading this who think you are not enough. You who think you are not worth much. The truth is the opposite. You are worth much. You are a survivor of abuse. You are stronger than you think. You will do more than survive. You will thrive. You were born to thrive.
You can do what I did there. You can encourage yourself. You are the only one who can bring yourself from discouragement to encouragement. You can be your biggest cheerleader. Trauma recovery is tough. There will be days when something triggers you, and you will feel defeated. It is in those moments when mantras help. Write down positive statements about yourself, and say them when you doubt yourself.
“Your false self is who you think you are. Your thinking does not make it true.” Richard Rohr
Application
Here are some mantras to help you get started encouraging yourself:
I am enough.
I am an overcomer.
I will thrive.
I am a beloved creation of God.
Resources
Immortal Diamon: The Search For Our True Self by Richard Rohr
Healing the Shame That Binds You by John Bradshaw
Don’t forget to subscribe to The Possible Path and share this article if you find it helpful.
You can support me on my Ko-Fi page with a one-time donation or paid membership to receive more of my work.
If you like The Possible Path, check out my work on Medium. If you are not a Medium member, you can become one here. By using my link, you directly support me.
Can I get an amen?