Wellspring Wednesdays|Week 25: YOLO
Author Note: If you prefer to listen or watch instead of or along with -
Check out the YouTube video and/or the Podcast audio.
So, YOLO, right? You know — You Only Live Once. The acronym is said to be similar to the Carpe Diem phrase, in that it should ignite folks to really go out and capture it all before it goes away forever.
For Trauma Survivors, carpe’ing anything usually takes a back burner to just trying to survive, working on our healing, retraining our brains, reframing our thoughts, and finding new, healthier coping skills. So who has time for YOLO fun, right?
Consider this your invitation to just think about it. Maybe you need permission to carpe stuff right now. I give you full and utter permission; can you accept that for yourself? Maybe you don’t want to carpe the day, maybe just these next 5 minutes. Maybe for you, you already KNOW you only live once, but you are tired of just living and want to try to live in a new way … more powerfully, louder, larger, with more excitement, healthier, with a fresh start, or in a more positive way.
If you find yourself in the dark part of your trauma recovery journey where you feel like you aren’t free to dream yet — that’s okay. What if you just took this time while listening to/reading this episode to make a mental note that soon in the future it will be safe to try? Can you even imagine the place in your healing where you start having freedom from maladaptive coping skills and addictions, having new healthy friendships and supportive people to encourage you, having boundaries that protect you from those who want to take advantage of you, and having self-care regimen that fills you up from the inside? Can you begin to fantasize about what it will feel like when you can trust yourself and your gut instincts again? Just even recognizing those things today, can that be enough for right now?
If you are down the road a ways on your healing path, are you starting to make a bucket list? Are you allowing yourself to play and be creative? Have you given yourself permission to find happiness in the small wins and celebrate yourself? Are you ready to start carpe’ing things — recovering the peace and joy your trauma tried to steal from you?
Sure — YOLO! Instead of it being some kind of call to action, what if it could mean a quiet space to meditate on this one life you have been given? Yes, you do only live once, but your one life has brought you a lot of pain, misery, fear, suffering, and protective instincts to try to keep you alive. So now that you’ve come to this place of trauma recovery — is restoration of your happiness possible? Remind yourself that you only get one shot at this life — in this time, this body, this space. For some, YOLO is an anthem, a battle cry to live life to the fullest. And for you, maybe you are there now. And if you aren’t, YOLO can be a reminder that your life matters, and every day brings small gains, small progress. For us, each day, we are carpe’ing the hell out of our recovery. And that’s worth something amazing.
If you need a hand or help getting a leg up in the recovery process, feel free to reach out. I’ll do my best to resource you in any way I can. Schedule a free consult today to see if coaching is right for you in your process right now. Maybe it’s the next best thing for you to carpe this week! Your one, amazing, honest, true, authentic, best life is already here right now! Happy seizing!
