Complex Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

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Redefining Your Narrative - Motivation, Empowerment, and a Pep Talk from my heart.

Brene Brown, PhD was one of my first and most impactful teachers at the start of my healing journey and wow, did she get me so far because she is an Emotions Researcher —- she spent the past two decades studying Courage, Vulnerability, Shame, and Empathy.

I can’t recommend her enough to also empower you on your healing, growth, and evolving journey to wellbeing and moving you towards your full potential to the best version of your authentic self.

You can watch her videos on YouTube and you can find her transformative best-selling books, videos, and articles, and even resources like workbooks on her website Brené Brown

What I want to emphasize here is that you should never feel alone in your journey because there are so many thought leaders and experts in whatever it is you are struggling with or with what you want to get better at that have already walked the same path and figured out this complex, but not yours alone - human experience. Seek them out - Google them, search for them on YouTube— keep looking out for my posts and my conversations threads and replies to others where I keep giving out these free resources for all of what we need to better understand to thrive. You can always ask me too, and I will be happy to do what I can to help find the expert who can help you with Self-Empowerment. There is a very good chance that expert’s name or advice/wisdoms are already in my copious notes in my phone. I am a constant learner about life, emotions, psychology….and I take detailed notes so I have at my fingertips what I will need to thrive and to fill the gaps in my emotional intelligence and self-development—- all of the critical things to thrive in life empowered that many a therapist never shared with me.

I hope that Self-Empowerment becomes your new favorite term too.

And these critical terms that start with the word “Self”: Self-Regulation (includes emotion regulation and our own regulation of our physiology like our breath, and our heart rate); and Self-Awareness, and Self-Acceptance, and Self-Worth, and Self-Esteem, and Self-Love, Self-Compassion, Self-Efficacy, Self-Discipline, Self-Discovery, Self-Respect.
Am I missing any? Each one is of critical importance for all of us to master ourselves.

I never want you to feel alone, not seen, not validated, powerless, flawed, worthless, or any of that stuff because literally, to be very clear - it is b*llsh*t.

Please Don’t let those thoughts have any say to get the best of you, they are just thoughts - which are just mental events on autopilot, they are not facts -they do not hold any meaning unless we give it power and meaning.

Here is one of the very Motivational and Self-Empowerment talks by Brene Brown that I Especially hope that you will embrace to help you not just survive but thrive more through the difficult holidays right here For us not Against us.

“Part of redefining your narrative is deciding what role you want to play in your own story.

Are you the hero who rises against the odds?
Are you the creator who builds something beautiful from the rubble?

Or are you the person who remains stuck letting the past dictate the future?

The choice is yours.
And, it starts with a single decision that I Will Not Let My Pain Define Me.
I Will Let It Refine Me.

Your life is a story and every experience- both good and bad becomes a chapter in that story.

But here is the truth that many of us overlook— you are the author.

You have the power to decide how the story is told; how the events are interpreted; and what meaning you give to the things that happens to you.

Redefining your narrative is not about erasing the past or pretending it didn’t happen.
It’s about choosing to see it through a lens of growth, resilience, and possibility.

Often we get stuck in narratives that no longer serves us.
Perhaps you told yourself that a failure defines your worth; or maybe you adopted a story of victimhood where everything that went wrong is proof that life is unfair.

These narratives can feel real because they are rooted in genuine pain or disappointment, but just because they feel real doesn’t mean they have to remain the dominant story of your life.

Redefining your narrative starts with awareness. Ask yourself what story have I been telling about myself in my life. Is it a story of defeat, scarcity, or limitation?

Is it a story where someone else’s actions hold all of the power?

Once you identify the narrative that you have been carrying, you can begin to rewrite it.

*One of the most transformative ways to redefine your narrative is to shift your perspective on hardship.*

*Instead of viewing challenges as evidence of your inadequacy, consider them as chapters of growth.*

What did you learn from that relationship that didn’t work out?

What strength did you develop from that setback?

What doors opened after the one you wanted closed?

*When you redefine your narrative, you take ownership of your story.*

*This doesn’t mean ignoring the pain, or pretending everything was okay, it means looking at the past with compassion and choosing to see yourself not as a victim but as a survivor, a learner, and a person who is continually evolving.*

*It’s also important to remember that your narrative isn’t just shaped by what happens to you; it’s shaped by the meaning you assign to those events.*

Two people can go through similar experiences and come out with entirely different stories.

*One may see rejection as proof they’re not enough, while the other sees it as redirection towards something better — which meaning will you choose?*

With warm wishes,

You friend in this hard thing called life,

Dawn 🤗

#MentalHealth #MightyTogether #Mindfulness #CheerMeOn #CheckInWithMe #DistractMe #WarmWishes #IfYouFeelHopeless #Suicide #Selfharm #SuicidalIdeation #SuicidalThoughts #SuicideAttemptSurvivors #ChronicIllness #GeneralizedAnxietyDisorder #Agoraphobia #Anxiety #Depression #MajorDepressiveDisorder #PersistentDepressiveDisorder #MoodDisorders #SocialAnxiety #Addiction #Disability #ComplexPosttraumaticStressDisorder #PTSDSupportAndRecovery #PostTraumaticStressDisorder #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #BipolarDepression #BipolarDisorder #ObsessiveCompulsiveDisorder #EatingDisorders #AnorexiaNervosa #ADHD #Relationships #FamilyAndFriends #CerebralPalsy #AutismSpectrumDisorder #AspergersSyndrome #RareDisease #AlopeciaAreata #Cancers #ChronicFatigue #ChronicFatigueSyndrome #MyCondition #MultipleSclerosis #AutonomicDysfunction #PTSD #Cancer #ParkinsonsDisease #Migraine #ChronicPain #PosturalOrthostaticTachycardiaSyndrome #POTS #CrohnsDisease #RheumatoidArthritis #Caregiving

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We made it! Wanna share a win?

You did it - you got through another week!
And however you got through;
You got through.
That's the most important thing.
Maybe you want to end the week on a good note?
And take a moment with us to reflect on a win from your week.
You're more than welcome to share with us in the comments.
It doesn't have to be anything "big" to count as a win.
Those "small" wins are just as important.
Anything can be a win depending on your situation.
So please share whatever you think is a win for you.
I'll get us started with the sharing.
And I wish you the best possible weekend you can have.
#fridaycheer
#weeklywin
#MightyTogether
#Support
#MentalHealth
#CPTSD
#Trauma
#BorderlinePersonalityDisorder
#AvoidantPersonalityDisorder
#Depression
#Anxiety
#Burnout
#HighlysensitivePerson
(Picture from Google)

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We made it! Wanna share a win?

You did it - you got through another week!
And however you got through;
You got through.
That's the most important thing.
Maybe you want to end the week on a good note?
And take a moment with us to reflect on a win from your week.
You're more than welcome to share with us in the comments.
It doesn't have to be anything "big" to count as a win.
Those "small" wins are just as important.
Anything can be a win depending on your situation.
So please share whatever you think is a win for you.
I'll get us started with the sharing.
And I wish you the best possible weekend you can have.
#fridaycheer
#weeklywin
#MightyTogether
#Support
#MentalHealth
#CPTSD
#Trauma
#BorderlinePersonalityDisorder
#AvoidantPersonalityDisorder
#Depression
#Anxiety
#Burnout
#HighlysensitivePerson
(Picture from Google)

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Glimmer Thursday

For us glimmer seekers, Thursday gives us an opportunity to share some glimmers with each other.
Since I invite you to share a glimmer with us in the comments.
I'll get us started with the sharing.
Your glimmer doesn't have to be something "big" or monumental.
A glimmer is often found in a micro-moment.
It doesn't even have to make sense for others, as long as it makes sense for you and calms your nervous system.
Ps: if you don't know what a glimmer is, you can look here What is a Glimmer?
#Glimmerthursday
#MightyTogether
#Support
#MentalHealth
#CPTSD
#Trauma
#BorderlinePersonalityDisorder
#AvoidantPersonalityDisorder
#Depression
#Anxiety
#Burnout
#HighlysensitivePerson
(Picture from Google, layout made in Canva)

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Glimmer Thursday

For us glimmer seekers, Thursday gives us an opportunity to share some glimmers with each other.
Since I invite you to share a glimmer with us in the comments.
I'll get us started with the sharing.
Your glimmer doesn't have to be something "big" or monumental.
A glimmer is often found in a micro-moment.
It doesn't even have to make sense for others, as long as it makes sense for you and calms your nervous system.
Ps: if you don't know what a glimmer is, you can look here What is a Glimmer?
#Glimmerthursday
#MightyTogether
#Support
#MentalHealth
#CPTSD
#Trauma
#BorderlinePersonalityDisorder
#AvoidantPersonalityDisorder
#Depression
#Anxiety
#Burnout
#HighlysensitivePerson
(Picture from Google, layout made in Canva)

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I’m new here!

Hi, my name is IMStylist72. I'm undiagnosed and I am not sure what to do. I have Chronic Pain and Severe medical C-Ptsd. My Chronic Pain subsided for 2 years and it returned with a vengeance. Any ways, at least I found y'all.

#MightyTogether #CPTSD
#ChronicPain #MajorDepressiveDisorder

(edited)
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I’m new here!

Hi, my name is IMStylist72. I'm undiagnosed and I am not sure what to do. I have Chronic Pain and Severe medical C-Ptsd. My Chronic Pain subsided for 2 years and it returned with a vengeance. Any ways, at least I found y'all.

#MightyTogether #CPTSD
#ChronicPain #MajorDepressiveDisorder

(edited)
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I miss my old life

I worked so hard. I overcame so much. I got degrees and accomplished a lot. I was respected and had really good career momentum after earning my educational specialist degree (between masters and doctorate). I was helping kids.
Not I can’t work. I lost so many of my identities. I can’t connect with my past. I have a boyfriend who treats me well. I’m grateful for him and all he provides. But it’s not the life I worked for or the life I had.
Almost ten years have passed. I’ve lost so much time. It’s really hurting right now. It’s really interfering with my functioning. I only look forward to time spent in therapy.
My boyfriend’s job takes a lot of time. And then he comes home and de-escalates me from the day. By the time he gets home and we eat- it’s bed time. We don’t have time to connect and lately I’ve been feeling really disconnected from him. And everyone really.

I feel so so so sad right now. I don’t like saying life isn’t fair. And I don’t like focusing on the negative stuff. But I don’t know what to look forward to, and I don’t know how to deal with this because it isn’t something I’m used to feeling. I feel hopeless because my dreams keep getting less likely. I don’t know what I can realistically hope for, and it is extremely distressing to hope for things when I haven’t had much to look forward to in so long

I don’t even know what I’m posting. Or why. I just am really grieving all that I’ve lost and keep losing. I don’t know what to do with it in this moment. In another moment I will- we are working on in therapy.

#ComplexPosttraumaticStressDisorder #Agoraphobia #PanicDisorder #ADHD

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