Do You Have Post Traumatic Growth

Do You Have Post Traumatic Growth  – All the feelings associated with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome are real. I know. I’ve got them. There is a new term coming out of psychologist offices today. It is used to describe what happens when a person can gain positive effects from negative experiences. Hm.. Does that sound like something we could get on board with? I’m thinking every single person who is reading this sentence can say that they have struggled with some traumatic, life altering events.

Living with a silent chronic illness, like liver disease, can create post traumatic stress.

Fatigue – When your body aches and there is no cure, it drains your mental and emotional energy. That, dear friend, is where many of us first find ourselves – looong before the diagnosis, we have pain, lethargy and …. all that.

HE – The ongoing, long term, relentless symptoms of hepatic encephalopathy slowly erode your self confidence, and can damage your relationships, finances, and yeah… all that.

Medications – Side effects from medication require constant monitoring to prevent swelling from ascites, portal hypertension, or bleeding from varices.. all that.

Everything Else – You can add any symptoms like nausea, low platelets, insomnia from reverse sleep pattern….. all that.

Do You Have Post Traumatic Growth 

I’m hungry for life – When you don’t want to miss a thing. There are strong feelings that rise up from deep inside of us, begging for more of …. Everything. You desire warmth and touch from connecting with life. You want to feel energy surging through your body. Every day seems like such a HUGE day. That’s growth,

Not Settling – I ain’t settling, or just getting by. I’ve had enough so-so for the rest of my life. When something is just “so so” you feel like spitting it out of your mouth. That’s growth. 

Cheap Life – Keep reading. What if cheap junk food shows us that we’re worthy of the best? Nasty food can make you feel bad. It seems like an insult to your system. You’ve suddenly got the feeling that you’re too good for crap. No more crappy food, crappy friendships, crappy jobs. We want the good chocolate, nice boss, the loyal friends, the tender love life. That’s growth.

Respect – You have lived through a lot, and you want to live longer. Making every day count includes being treated with dignity and surrounded by love. When you are not getting respected, you can set new limits. I’ve done some fb lives and youtubes about that lately. New limits. That’s growth. 

I feel pure – Forgiveness. All day, my mind is being swept by a sense that I am forgiven, and I forgive others. Constantly. Endlessly. Maybe that’s from facing down cancer and rolling into a transplant surgery. No time for anything to soil my mind. The result is that my heart and mind stay fairly free of guilt or shame. I’m still a hot mess. All clean. Forgiven. That’s growth. 

I’m moving into this Post Traumatic Growth. There has been trauma in my life, big and small. I’m running with the hunger, lack of settling, and  purity that grows out of the trauma. It helps us to shake a lot of cheap junk out of our lives. We settle on simpler truths that people who never experience trauma can’t understand. We’re growing… xo Karen