Suffering emotional exhaustion, and living with a lack of joy are common consequences of trauma, and some of the most frequent symptoms of PTSD.
Shame is the feeling that you are fundamentally flawed in some way. That you are worthless, not deserving of love, kindness, and care.
Have you ever felt that way?
You may feel you are going nuts, but actually your brain is doing its best to cope with the overwhelming experiences that happened to you.
Good PTSD treatment can help your brain do that better, so that your life can go back to normal.
The big trouble with prolonged stress is that it becomes increasingly difficult to sort out what things you can control, what is important, and what you could actually let go of.
Maybe you’ve yelled at your children when you should have been calm.
Perhaps you brushed them aside when you should have paid attention to them.
Do you assume that people won’t like you?
Then, thinking that you are not good enough, do you isolate yourself, and end up feeling lonely?
It may also help you to know that most people who enter trauma therapy do some work, and then go off to experience life with their new sense of relief and confidence.
By Elina Falck, September 22, 2017 in Low Self Esteem.
Do you have a voice inside telling you that you are you not good enough, not smart enough, not capable enough, not pretty enough or not valuable enough?
That is your inner critic.
Jonathan* was an executive in a fast paced business, he had two pre-teen children, a wife struggling with depression, and elderly parents depending on him.
Eating in response to emotional stressors is called, not surprisingly, stress eating.
If you reach for food at moments of difficulty, you are not alone. You are also not some kind of out-of-control glutton.
When something goes wrong, do you tend to blame yourself? Are you generous about the quirks and mishaps of your friends, but much harder on yourself?
You have probably been told that the goal is not to be a perfect parent but rather that you need to make sure you are “good enough.”But, what does “good enough” mean? How do you know if your parenting measures up?
I am writing this a few days before Christmas. This is the time we are supposed to spend time with loved ones. Typically that means our family and our friends.
But what do you do about contact with family if your parents or other family members maltreated you?