What are some things that I can do to help myself cope with trauma I've had in my childhood and teen years? I feel completely down and out, upset, hurt, angry, and just out of energy. I think about unhealthy coping mechanisms I've had that transpired into adulthood and how that's made my health worse both mentally and physically and it makes me feel worse.
I’m in the same boat. I’m 22 and have had some experiences that shaped me. Experiences that messed with my ocd. I’ve been learning not to deal on them too much, to focus on other things. When I need to feel sad about them i do, but I limit how much. Over time it gets better. I used to be angry and sad all the time, now I’m not. But still be hurt pretty often. It’s getting better though. Life needs a good balance of positivity and a time for mourning.
If I don't have any distractions, it can really disturb me and it takes me out of the entire day. Sometimes, with distractions it doesn't help too much. I've come to the conclusion that I'm just dealing with trauma that I can't help but hold onto. It sucks. I have been trying to do positive things for myself and while they help, this is still there in the background.
You can try to practice mindfulness and shape your brain to re-focus on other things such as learning a new hobby. Going outside helps as well since the brain is active and focused, sitting in one room ruminating can create more distress because your brain is in fight or flight mode. Have you tried the gym yet? maybe working out can boost your self-esteem, (Although I exercise at home because I can't afford to pay monthly yet) Exercise in itself also releases chemicals in the brain that can increase overall happiness. Also since you've mentioned art before as a hobby, vent art is a healthy way of conveying your frustrations regarding trauma, it's a form of expression for those undergoing PTSD or other mental disorders that helps them communicate their struggles through physical meaning.
I've been lacking with mindfulness but it did help when I was doing it. Sitting in my room all the time is sometimes too much and I just don't want to be there for long so that helps too. Like you, I've just been working out at home. It is a nice thing to do, even if it's exhausting. I've been going back to learning a new language which does help. Art has really been the best hobby for me I think. I just like to do it a lot. What I hate sometimes is that I'll find it cringy to create stuff, whether it's music, art, or other things because then I'll compare myself to others.
@BigGyro09 - I see, I'm guilty of comparing my artwork to others too. I just look at it and think it's never good enough, regardless of how much effort I put into it. But we are here to create art for ourselves, not for other people. If it helps you, then it shouldn't matter if it's not as perfect as others. Van Gogh's art itself wasn't as popular during his time because it was too different from what other artists were creating. He only sold one painting and the 900 others weren't popular until his death. I try to think that we only have one life to live and if it means creating something out of it so be it, because I may not be able to get that chance later on.
@anxious artist I think the hardest part about things like this is that everything you just said about it makes sense and I agree with it. But there's something that holds me back from actually believing it genuinely is difficult. I want to think that we all have our own styles of art and I should be grateful that I have the opportunity to draw. That's something I think about quite a bit too: What if I don't wake up the next day? I don't want to think about stuff like that but my intrusive thoughts tend to do that.
TW: Abuse/Pocd Im feeling really hopeless right now. I have an extensive history of sexual abuse, neglect, physical and emotional abuse as well and a significant amount of trauma from my childhood. I didn’t get any help until my late teens. During this time period I was an incredibly troubled child/teenager and I made a ton of really bad decisions that go against all my morals and values now as a grown adult. I feel like I messed up so bad I don’t deserve to recover. I don’t want to discuss all the events because they are quite personal to me but I’m really struggling with past sexual mistakes and feeling like some sort of deviant because of my past. I never hurt anyone and I never to my knowledge did anything illegal but I definitely had sexual behavior issues from my abuse. I sexualized my own abuse to cope with it. I feel horrible about this. Like I’m a monster. It also convinces me my thoughts are true and it’s evidence. Should I go to a OCD specialist for this or a sex therapist? Is there anything they can even do.
I find myself getting panic attacks over things that I was exposed to as a teen in my younger years and they still haunt me sometimes.
Starting to think I have unresolved childhood trauma unfortunately. Health OCD is also driving my absolutely crazy but I'm too scared to go to my doctor. I worry about diabetes, illnesses, cancer, skin problems, etc. I just hope everything works out in the end. Right now I just can't do the things I love doing because I'm constantly worrying about everything. All of my worries are exacerbated and I just can't keep them away. They only come back.
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