For those ready to increase your emotional flexibility and truly thrive after a traumatic event, here are a few ways to put this valuable information to work.

Take an outlook inventory: Spend some time contemplating and journaling the areas of life we would like to strengthen. Don’t become discouraged or distracted by all the details. Simply see this moment as an opportunity to prioritize what is truly important to us. Knowing this may help us feel more grounded and refocus our efforts more efficiently to then create a plan of action.

Practice acceptance: Create a mindfulness meditation practice focusing our attention on thoughts that cultivate feelings of contentment, safety and gratitude, even completely unrelated to the trauma. By weakening the tendency toward fear-based beliefs, we may experience a sense of emotional healing and freedom through acceptance.

Create a perspective map: Recover from the disorienting effects of a life-altering trauma by generating a list of the things taking up the most energy in time, money, thoughts and emotions. Now transfer each item into one of three categories—within my control; under my influence; or out of my control. Keep this in a prominent location as a visual reminder where our daily energy needs to be focused, as well as to identify distractions.

Build a support system: Practice courage in seeking support. Connect with a close friend, join a support group or seek help through a counseling therapist. Doing so may help alleviate feeling isolated and overwhelmed as we move forward.

Thom Allen is a psychotherapist and yoga teacher in Plano. His company, PranaDynamics, provides guidance in healing and personal evolution. For more information, visit PranaDynamics.com.

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