Trauma Survivors Dashing Through The Snow, Get Me Outta Here!

Jingle Mingle! Dashing through the snow! Reindeer prancing! It’s that wonderful (and exhausting) time of year again. After all, we’ve just finished the traditional thanksgiving celebrations in America and it’s here we go again.

For Trauma Survivors, the emotional toll of navigating the holiday cheer can be just enough to put us over the edge. Truth be told, many Sexual Abuse survivors/victims may be in complete overwhelm and have spent days prior to the “thanksgiving meal” doing the mental chatter game. Not only are victims deciding if they should just stay home alone but they’re also juggling the notion of just how long they can last seated at that holiday table.

Once again, just four weeks later, it’s same ol’ same ol’. Prior to taking a seat at the holiday table, while opening gifts around the Christmas tree, you might see some “survivor” holiday cheer, but it’s probably eggnog induced! Although you may see us victims smiling outwardly, we’re really raining on the inside.

The raindrop-laden tears contain a mix of shame, blame, and self-loathing as we struggle to understand why our Christmas pasts weren’t the happiest memories or experiences. Often, we trauma survivors are juggling mental images from our abuse, battling the unseen war of trigger management, and simply surviving the holiday vibe while others seem to do so with such ease.

You may have a friend or family member who seems a little “checked out” during holiday gatherings. What they’re really thinking is, “get me outta here!” One of the best things you can do is give him/her some space; sometimes, all we need is to take a walk, disappear for a bit, or sit in our car. Please, just let us be. It’s in being with ourselves in some quiet that we can soon function better.

Re-entry to the holiday cheer may or may not happen, and if it doesn’t, please understand that re-entry isn’t easy for us. Sometimes we need to “plug out” in order to “plug in” just to endure the holiday meal, eggnog, and unwrapping of gifts that brings such a joyful zeal to the tots!

As trauma survivors, getting into inspired action, taking decisive action and making highly beneficial choices can help you survive and stay out of overwhelm during the stressful holiday season.

Here’s to making choices that empower you so that you don’t find yourself in HOLIDAY HELL!

Lastly, here’s to smiling outwardly, even on Christmas and the upcoming New Year!

https://youtu.be/v_W0xUgGILY