Have you ever found yourself hearing something said, but it’s not until the 900th time that it kind of hits home to you and you take a step back and you’re like oh, well yeah. That was me this morning. In the middle of my morning work out the instructor said “Showing up is half the battle. You are halfway through, and you’ve already done something for yourself today.” In that moment of personal recognition and celebration (I'm on day two of my workouts), I started thinking about other ways that I have started to show up for myself. So I want to share with you 3 ways that you can start showing up for yourself today.
#1 Move Your Body.
I know that sounds pretty obvious because I just talked about my work out this morning, but it really is about getting up and doing something physical every day. I remember when I was in the depths of depression and anxiety and all I wanted to do is sleep in my bed or lay around on the couch all day. I had no motivation to get up and do anything whatsoever. And when I was in therapy a few years later, my counselor told me that one of the best things for complex PTSD was exercise. Although I have gotten out of the habit in the last few years, I used to run every day. I had a hate-love relationship with running. I hated it until I loved it. It was time to think, time to reflect, and I used it as a time to pray and thank God. Exercise doesn’t have to be as big as we make it. It can be taking a walk around the block, it could be doing some stretching or yoga. It could be running or jogging or rowing. I think sometimes I tended to make it more of an obstacle then it should be because I didn’t have the right equipment or enough time or 1 million other excuses. Do something today for yourself, get up, take a walk, and as you do, find three things that you can see, three things you can smell, and three things you can feel. What are you grateful for? 1 Corinthians 10:31 says whether you eat or drink or whatever you do do all in the glory of God.
We can think of 1 million things to say about ourselves that are not nice. I have been guilty of speaking to myself in a way that I would never ever ever speak to another human being. What is something that you love about yourself? Find one thing. Train your brain to start thinking about yourself in a different way. It takes one little seed to start the change. If you love to write or even if you don’t, journaling is such a great way to get all the thoughts out of your head and clear your mind out. You are beautiful, you are fearlessly and wonderfully made by God. And God does not make mistakes.
#3 Call A Friend.
Reach out to somebody today. Community is so incredibly important. I know I tend to withdraw or compartmentalize my days. I am not a natural sharer of information of my life. But that’s exactly what I did this morning. I reached out to a friend on Marco Polo and just said hi and asked her how she was doing and caught her up on my life a little bit. It really does do the soul good when you can talk to people. I completely understand that trust issues are a problem with anyone dealing with the effects of trauma, however find your tribe, find your community that you feel safe in because it’s not until you feel safe that you will grow and flourish and be able to speak your truth and be authentic. Galatians 6:2 says to bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. There are so many lonely people out there. They just need someone to talk to or share their day with or just be real with. They can do that for you too. Community is important.
Next Step: Join my FaceBook Group! My vision is to create and build a supportive, safe community in my free Facebook group Rising + Thriving Survivors of Domestic Abuse & Family Trauma. It is a group specifically for women who have experienced domestic abuse or family trauma and are in a safe place physically and emotionally. Are you ready to release the pain of the past and find out what God has created you to be? This is a place where we can share each others lives and lift each other up as we navigate our healing process. You can access the link to our group here: https://bit.ly/risingandthriving
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