Finding Home in Yourself: Beyond Surviving Trauma

We often hear the difficult concept of being "grateful for the pain" of the past, suggesting that the suffering itself held a necessary lesson. For many of us, this resonates deeply, not because we enjoyed the pain, but because we acknowledge that we would not trade the beautiful things in our lives now in exchange for never having endured that past struggle.

But what if we shift that focus? As Najwa Zebian beautifully explores in "Welcome Home," the true source of gratitude is you.

You are not grateful for the storms you survived; you are profoundly grateful for the ship, the vessel of your own spirit, that endured them.

Gratitude for the Survivor

The past hurt is just that: the past. It is a context, not a commodity to be thankful for. Instead, turn your gaze inward to the incredible things that emerged from your necessity to survive:

• Your Endurance: Remember the times you thought you couldn't take another step, but you did. That unshakeable core of resilience is not a mere byproduct of trauma; it's a profound testament to your innate strength.

• The Skills You Acquired: Trauma forced you to become an expert in things you never asked for, self-soothing, boundary-setting, deep empathy, and fierce self-protection. These are sophisticated, hard-earned skills. They are assets, not accidents.

• The Self You Reclaimed: The act of healing is the process of gathering the fragmented parts of yourself and putting them back together—stronger, wiser, and more authentically you. You are grateful for the courage it took to choose peace, to choose healing, and to choose yourself.

Coming Home

Being grateful for your journey, your inner wisdom, and your capacity to love and be loved despite what happened is the ultimate act of self-honoring. It allows you to finally start seeing yourself through the lens of the powerful, capable, and complete individual you are today.

Welcome home to yourself. The past may have been dark, but the light within you is entirely your own.

My Affiliate link to Welcome Home by Najwa Zebian https://amzn.to/3L278fR