Struggling to Reconnect with Myself After Trauma

I want to add that I faked it until I made it

I experienced this too and 6 years after feeling like that, after I forced myself to enjoy activities and found medication that works I really came out of my ptsd shell. I am still not the same person that I was anymore, but the new me found meaning and enjoyments again. I also feel safer in my body and surroundings. It’s the present that matters most to me now, and focusing on this helps

oh my god, I totally agree. message if u wanna talk ! open ears

Yes, the feeling that everything is tainted is one I have been grappling with for a couple years now and I’ve never met anyone who understood what that meant. Forcing myself to do the things I used to enjoy, specifically art, has been incredibly painful.

I can very much relate. It’s been 3 years and I’ve realized through therapy I am not the same person anymore. There are things I still enjoy- music, traveling, animals… and many things that I no longer feel safe or comfortable doing. But something that helped me in the beginning was thinking about one thing that makes me smile- one little thing. Then I started creating a list of the things I enjoyed “before” that I wanted to get back. It helped me take the next step for me in healing. 💕

I do and I have felt this way. I find it takes small baby steps instead of throwing yourself into it immediately. Try to just focus on one thing and see if you click. Maybe you've outgrown it, or maybe you'll like it, but you wont know unless you try! Be patient with yourself and recognize things you've outgrown, but also give yourself time to rediscover that love you had before the hurt. Don't let your trauma define you, you have to define it.

Yes I know exactly how you feel