5 Signs that you are recovering from child abuse

Healing from child abuse and trauma as an adult survivor is not an easy task. The undertaking of stepping into owning who you are is the equivalent of skydiving from the stratosphere, it can be done, but it not easy. There is no right or wrong way to heal from trauma. The only thing that you can do is make a promise to yourself to stay the course. 

Let’s say that you’ve been doing all of the trauma healing practices to make your life better. You have been going to therapy, hitting the gym, writing in that gratitude journal, and keeping your promises. Things are looking up, but you still can’t quite identify if you are recovering from abuse.Understanding the changes that are happening in your life is a concept that has plagued many people who are in the midst of their abuse recovery process, but there are ways to know if you are healing. 

Often the idea of processing changes in healing childhood trauma is very much a “can’t see the forest for the trees” type situation. So how do you know if you are recovering from trauma?

Here are five signs that you are recovering from child abuse

1: The people around you notice something different

Is that a new haircut? Maybe a fresh pair of jeans? No. That glow- that’s the reflection of what you are putting into the world. Our environment often mirrors us. This means that if you are stepping into a healthy, happy, and sustainable lifestyle that the people around you will reflect that back with health, happiness, and other behaviors that mimic your general state of being. 

2: You are inspired by your trauma recovery

What feels better than feeling like you can see and experience a change in yourself? Not a lot. One of the best ways to know that you are healing from child abuse is by understanding the changes that are happening in your life and being excited about them! Being invigorated about growing into a person that is living a life conducive to health is a way to know you are on the right track. How does it feel to be excited about the work that you are doing? Maybe you see the light at the end of the tunnel, or perhaps you are finally allowing yourself to take more baby steps into being the hero in your own story? The excitement that you feel living in your own skin is a surefire clue to trauma healing happening.

3: You learn how to leverage intrinsic motivation in your recovery

At the beginning of the healing journey, many adult survivors of child abuse find motivation from extrinsic sources. Think about when you first began your journey, who or what were the people or concepts that inspired you to start learning how to heal? Where you once inspired by images, motivational speakers, podcasts, films, or music? Do you feel like the motivation within you have shifted and you are taking the wheel and steering? Intrinsic motivation is a cornerstone to identifying ways to know that you are healing from childhood trauma. Once motivation shifts from outside sources to within, then you are tapping into your power. More importantly, are you using your newfound strength without influence from outside? Where your motivation exists can say a lot about your journey!

4: You change negative-self talk and love yourself more

Negative self-talk is one of the most telling symptoms of childhood trauma. The way we talk to ourselves says more about the way we have been impacted by abuse than most other indicators. Self-talk is not only the catalyst for how you get into The Vortex, but it is also the way that you get out. Have you noticed that you are more kind to yourself? Have you felt more gentle in giving yourself space to make mistakes, try new things, or seek help and support from your community? These are all elements of the way you talk to yourself. Stepping out of negative self-talk and into positive self-affirming and reassuring conversation with yourself is an element of the signs that you are recovering from childhood trauma.

Being in a place of positive self-talk is not to say that there may not be times that you still slip into old habits. On occasion you may say things to yourself that you have to rectify. It’s common in the healing journey to have setbacks. Every person who has ever existed has had to deal with negative self-talk. Are you more kind to yourself than you’re being mean? If so, then that’s a great sign of healing! 

5: You keep moving forward to healing trauma

The old you probably gave up the second that things got hard. You may have played the role of victim with Oscar-worthy dramatics and stage presence. You may have been the person that got in their own way, blamed everyone else for their mistakes, and lied to themselves about how great they could be. That is a person that you used to be. Where you once quit on yourself, you have now stepped into wearing the badge of courage neatly pinned on your chest. How do you know that you are recovering from trauma? The cape around your neck screams hero. And when the going gets tough and you hit the ground, you spring back to action because you refuse to let yourself down.

There are so many other signs that you are recovering from the impact of child abuse. As an adult, it is your power and agency to step into who are know you can be. There are a multitude of trauma healing tools and modalities at your fingertips, but the most important one is your mindset and your willingness to Think Unbroken.

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