Personal Growth and Trauma

The world is full of surprises we cannot predict, as well as tragedies that seem to come out of nowhere. Instinctively we hide from storms, but as Martina Cartwright writes, there are two kinds of human beings: those who open the door to new experiences, and those who want to keep themselves tightly shut against danger.

We consciously and subconsciously experience a great deal while growing up. These positive and negative experiences contribute to our personal development. Through our past we store moments that we call upon when we create good or bad memories – these moments are what we become today. There is an understanding that, given our past, trauma cannot always be healed day by day. It takes more than telling ourselves that everything will be fine, because that is not entirely accurate. Understanding these pains and learning from them can help reduce their emotional impact on us, which points to personal growth for us as individuals. People can be emotionally affected by traumatic events or circumstances such as war or natural disasters. Anxiety, depression and loss of appetite are some of the problems that people with post-traumatic stress disorder must face. Awareness and our ability to cope with trauma become increasingly difficult due to a number of factors, such as physical exhaustion or reduced motivation. The things we go through can trigger many emotions, such as anger, fear and sadness.

If you could not be with yourself back then, be with yourself now.

Yesterday's pain is the strength of today. – Paulo Coelho