Rebuilding trust after trauma

Rebuilding trust after trauma can feel intimidating, especially if other people were involved in what happened. Now, this journey will be different for everyone and like any build up of trust it takes TIME.

Trauma can change how you see the world.

You may feel guarded, suspicious, or emotionally distant. All understandable reactions after you have been through something awful.

Start with self trust

Rebuilding trust after trauma often begins with trusting yourself again. You may have lost confidence in yourself and doubting your capabilities is something that can be right at the forefront of your mind.

But, if you can make the decision with start by loving yourself again, then this is a great first step.

This means listening to your body and respecting your limits.

You might practise:

• Noticing when something feels uncomfortable- start to trust your instincts again
• Allowing yourself to say no without guilt- Don’t put pressure on yourself to please everyone
• Giving yourself permission to slow down- rest your mind as well as your body (you may try some meditation or breathing exercises)
• Celebrate small wins each day- (keep a journal of something you achieved today or something good that happened no matter how small
• Speak to a trusted friend or family member who lifts you up- hearing it from someone else first will help you to believe it to

Above all, BE KIND TO YOURSELF. Use positive language when speaking about yourself or thinking about yourself. I have a lot of blogs here on Self-Belief

Let trust build gradually

Trust does not need to be all or nothing. It can grow in small steps with people who respect your boundaries.

Starting with family members and friends who have supported you is a good place to start. You don’t need to tell everyone you meet what happened to you but reaching out to groups or someone who has been through something similar can help you to rebuild that trust in people.

Set boundaries for yourself, but don’t isolate yourself. Go to the event, but set a time to come home. Make sure you have a way of getting home wherever you go. Knowing you have that safe space to get to in your mind can help you be around others.

Rebuilding trust after trauma takes time. There is no rush and no right pace.

What matters is that you feel safe and supported along the way.

Listen to episodes on trauma on my YouTube channel