See if this resonates: Imagine waking up and going about your routine in a haphazard manner, feeling tense and frustrated without stopping to figure out why. You accidentally run into a cabinet you forgot to close, sustaining a minor injury and feeling your mood plummet. Distraught, you leave your keys behind and lock the door in a rush.
Now, consider that this situation might be the result of not being aligned with your inner safety or not having kept up with practicing self-awareness. I have experienced similar situations like the example above, leading to increasing aggravation. That’s until I learned to apply mindfulness, compassion, takeaways and repeat-backs, the components that play a significant role in helping us align with our internal safety.
Let’s explore how.
As trauma survivors, we often experience discomfort without realizing that often it’s telling us we may be feeling unsafe. This feeling can lead to impatience, anxiety, and knee-jerk reactions, even in safe environments.
First, self-awareness involves the ability to monitor our own emotions and reactions. For many, the thought to monitor internal safety isn’t on their radar. However, for a survivor of traumatic experiences, it’s crucial to the recovery path to be aware of the need for a safe space and to check in with our internal safety.
But how do we know we are struggling with a lack of inner safety? I’ve been on my recovery path long enough to know when to check my internal safety. There’s usually unexplained irritability, restlessness, anxiety, disrupted sleep, dysregulated emotions, a desire to return to unhealthy habits and more.
However, when we are self-aware, we can apply power techniques such as such as perspective shifting and self-discovery to learn about ourselves, our personalities, and the impact we have on others.
For example, mindfulness makes us more aware of our present selves, and self-compassion allows us to do so without self-judgment. Takeaways offer space for reflection, while repeat-backs provide an opportunity to demonstrate understanding
Takeaways and repeat- backs have been especially helpful to observe and reflect on stressful situations, allowing me to backtrack and identify triggers threatening my inner safety. I believe moods and energy levels are influenced by our conscious and unconscious focus. Through deep reflection I can better understand the triggers and begin the process of addressing false beliefs rooted in past experiences.
Once I have identified triggers or false beliefs, I apply perspective shifting and while remaining focused on the present moment. I acknowledge, accept, and trust my efforts to realign with my inner safety, validating that I am grounded and safe.
Emotional regulation and internal safety are positive outcomes of self-awareness. Only through the lens of self-awareness have I learned to live Deliberately UnBound, applying powerful conceptions to untangle the mass of thoughts, feelings, and beliefs with the intent of securing internal safety.
I’ll end with a quote from a work in progress that I believe puts a nice bow on the message I am conveying. “Internal safety is neither myth nor mystery; it is an essential cornerstone of our mental health and the foundation for maintaining our recovery path to living Deliberately UnBound. And to think! It all began with awareness!” Sher M. Day, The Moreness Chronicles
Sher