Self Care for Trauma

After Weinstein and #MeToo, we are all exhausted. The stories shared were unsurprising for many of us.  For some, they were freeing and empowering. For some sad and draining. Some did not feel that they could share their stories, (you don’t owe anyone your story) Some of us are tired of campaigns and want real steps to accountability. Regardless many of us are carrying trauma. We need to acknowledge this trauma and takes steps for healing and self-care.

Self-care ideas and resources

Put your phone on Do Not Disturb mode, close the laptop. What content brings you down? Delete or unfollow it.

Create a plan

Stress and trauma can feel all-encompassing. Develop a self-care plan. Identify stress and determine what activities make you feel that way. What can you do to eliminate these? What techniques can you use to deal with these? What makes you feel anxious?

Communicate your feelings to a friend

Let someone you trust know about your self-care plan. Develop a support network. Find friends that you can reach out to at a moment’s notice. Make sure people around you know how you feel when you are stressed. Tell them how they can help support you.

Exercise

Exercise increases the production of stress-relieving hormones like serotonin. You don’t have to commit to the gym. Take the stairs, add a small walk into your day, listen to a podcast as you run. Find home workouts on YouTube or download free workout apps.

Make an appointment to do something you love

Schedule these things like you would work. Set a deadline.

Meditate

This is putting attention to the present. Take the time to check in with you. Practice breathing exercises. Try Yoga or add mindfulness apps to your phone.

Write

Writing forces you to organize your thoughts. You can purge thoughts, deal with them productively and creatively. Make a list of your feelings and goals. Don’t forget to focus on the positive as well.

Get enough sleep

If you have anxiety, PTSD, or lingering trauma, getting to sleep can be difficult.  Make your space comfortable; small adjustments can make a huge difference.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help

Don’t feel like you have to face your trauma alone. Ask and seek help. There are always more options than you think.

If you are looking for a local therapist to talk to on a weekly basis, check out Psychology Today‘s therapist finder. You can filter for “sliding scale” as well as therapists based on gender, sexuality, and faith, and issues they specialize in—ranging from as broad as anxiety to as specific as infertility.

Resources

RAINN The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network is one of the largest anti-sexual violence organizations in the country. They run an online hotline for sexual assault victims and their family and friends and provide specific resources for children, members of the military, and for Spanish speakers. They also have a database of local sexual-assault service providers.

Safe Horizon Safe Horizon was founded in 1978 and provides support for victims of sexual abuse, domestic violence, human trafficking, and more. As well as connecting victims with advocates who can help them report their assaults or find counseling, it also offers direct legal assistance to low-income victims, as well as free legal information and advice.

National Sexual Violence Resource Center NSVRC offers support tools for sexual violence victims as well as encourages prevention, providing e-learning courses like “Bringing hope: Responding to disclosures of child sexual abuse” and “Violence against American Indian and Alaska native women and men: 2010 findings from the national Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey.” Their extensive online library is also a resource for researchers.

Anti-Violence Project AVP provides support to LGBT and HIV-affected communities for any type of violence and offers support groups, legal assistance, and even “art expression groups” for victims of hate violence, sexual violence, and intimate partner violence.

Men Can Stop Rape This organization promotes nonviolent expressions of masculinity by mentoring male youth and teaching them about consent. It also lists many resources for male sexual assault victims and male perpetrators of sexual violence.

1in6 Some researchers say that one in six men experienced unwanted sexual conduct before the age of 18—and 1in6 provides resources for those men and their families, including an online hotline as well as a questionnaire focused on helping men sort out their experiences.

FORGE This national trans anti-violence organization provides services to transgender, gender-nonconforming, and gender non-binary sexual assault victims and their family and friends. It offers training and assistance for those who work with sexual assault survivors, as well as connects victims with therapists in their area.

The Network/La Red This organization’s mission is to end partner abuse in LGBT, BDSM, and polyamorous communities. It has created manuals on how to identify partner abuse—especially how to distinguish consensual BDSM behavior from abuse—and provides advocate information, hotlines, and even free short-term housing in the Boston area for victims.

The Callisto Survivor’s Guide  Information and resources for survivors of sexual assault, rape, and professional sexual coercion

Emotional Healing and Health on the Road. Sue Anello is a classically trained homeopath with a diverse and varied range of experience treating patients all over the world.

This list was compiled by Dailydot.com