Chronic Hypervigilance

Chronic hypervigilance

from childhood trauma

will have us picking ourselves

and our lives apart,

looking for problems to fix

even when we've gotten

to the place where our lives are wonderful.

This hypervigilance

kept us safe for so long,

but eventually it,

like so many other trauma responses,

keeps us trapped in the past

and unable to enjoy the life

we worked so hard to create for ourselves.

We heal complex trauma

through a bottom-up

and top-down approach.

We can rewire our nervous system

with Somatic Experiencing,

allowing incomplete fight-and-flight responses

to finally complete.

We can change our perspective

by noticing our habitual patterns,

by taking charge of our self-talk,

and by telling ourselves

that good enough is good enough

in terms of who we are,

where we are,

and how our lives have turned out.

While it is important

to continue to do our best

to grow as humans

so that we can truly thrive,

it is important to recognize

the good that is already here now

and allow ourselves to have it.

We deserve nothing less.