Words of Encouragement to Help You Cope With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Traumatic Event, and Abuse

• 1. Just breathe” – When you’re stressed, your breathing can become shallow, rapid, and irregular. This causes oxygen levels in the body to decrease when they should be at a higher level.
• 2. “Take it one day at a time” – It may sound simple – but this mantra really works! Take yourself back to yesterday, then tomorrow, then the next day, and finally today. Each day brings new opportunities and challenges.
• 3. “What’s done is done” – We often think about past traumas endlessly analyzing them over and over again. However, once the event is over, it’s done. You cannot change the past. Instead, focus on what you can do now to make the best out of each day ahead.
• 4. Love heals” – We often associate love with romantic feelings, like infatuation or marriage. Love heals – whether it’s between two people or within you.
• 5. “Focus on the present, not the past” – When faced with overwhelming stressors, you may find yourself reliving past traumatic experiences and start thinking about what could happen in the future. Stay focused on the present moment.
• 6. “Don’t let negative people drag you down” – Sometimes painful memories and emotions reemerge unexpectedly. When that happens, don’t allow yourself to be emotionally paralyzed by these events.
• 7. Surround yourself with a support system” – A healthy support system includes friends, family, and colleagues; plus other individuals who understand you and your unique story.
• 8. “Knowledge is power” – Once you learn more about abuse and the effects of trauma, you’ll better recognize warning signs such as anxiety, depression, anger, poor impulse control, hypervigilance, and dissociation.
• 9. Choose to believe” – Believing strongly in something provides meaning and purpose to our lives. Without belief, life seems meaningless and unfulfilling. 
• 10. “Look forward to the future” – Even though you may still struggle with some difficult situations today, you can look forward to tomorrow. Remember that every time you experience success, you’re growing stronger and helping your body eliminate the toxins produced by trauma.
• 11. “Let go of those who harmed you” – It may be hard to forget about the person who caused harm to you. Yet, if this person was responsible for causing injuries or death, then you can’t afford to carry around anger over the incident.
• 12. Give thanks for everything” – Express appreciation for all aspects of your life: good and bad. Say thank you for opportunities, challenges, and circumstances.
• 13. “Love unconditionally” – Treat everyone like a friend. Love is one of the greatest gifts you can share. Try not only to love others but also help them to feel loved. 
• 14. “Live in the now” – When we live moment-by-moment, we reduce the stress associated with our past traumas. We become present and conscious of each moment. Life becomes richer and more meaningful.
• 15. Remember that every day is a blessing” – Each day offers you both joy and sorrow. Some days bring tragedy, while other days are filled with happiness and prosperity.
• 16. “Be kind to yourself.” – When we think badly of ourselves, we begin to create even more negativity. If you treat yourself with compassion, you will find it easier to forgive yourself for any mistakes or shortcomings.
• 17. “Focus on the positives” – Take comfort in knowing that even if you don’t always succeed at doing things right, there always comes a time when you’re able to correct your course and move ahead.
• 18. “Surround yourself with loving friends and family members” – Having close friends and relatives brings peace and stability into your life. They will encourage you during tough times and support you during great accomplishments.
• 19. “Don’t let anyone stand between you and your dreams” – People who hold you back will only hinder your progress.
• 20. Stop comparing yourself to others.” – Everyone has something unique to contribute to the world. Stop trying to measure your worth against someone else’s achievements, abilities, lifestyle, personality traits, looks, social status, economic status, or education.
• 21. Let go of anger” – Anger consumes our minds and sometimes our bodies. Sometimes we may feel justified in expressing our anger by yelling or throwing something across the room.
• 22. “Always look for the beauty in everything” – In order to remain optimistic and happy, we must recognize the inherent goodness in all living beings.
• 23. “Never stop learning” – The older we get, the more we realize that our knowledge base grows wider and deeper.
• 24. “Be honest about your strengths and weaknesses” – Being truthful about ourselves enables us to grow stronger both inside and outside. Honesty also makes it easier to change negative habits.
• 25. “Try to think before speaking” – When confronted with an unpleasant situation, we often need to hold our tongues. But silence can cause problems in itself.
• 26. Give up the idea that failure equals being unworthy” – Failure doesn’t mean you’re worthless or doomed to live a miserable life. On the contrary: Failure is an opportunity to learn from mistakes.
• 27. Keep calm and carry on” – We don’t need to stress about things we cannot do anything about. All we can do is cope with whatever happens while maintaining a sense of inner peace and optimism.
• 28. “Do what you know best and enjoy doing it”- Everyone has their own special talent or passion which they enjoy doing. If you love gardening, then spend time tending to your garden every single weekend.
• 29. “Happiness is just a thought away”- Happiness is often right next door to misery. One thought or action away! That means we have only a limited window of opportunity to decide whether we’ll smile, cry or feel sorry for ourselves.
• 30. Don’t give up hope.”- Life offers many obstacles along the road to achieving success. But this does not mean that we have no other options than giving up. 
• 31. There’s no such thing as perfect” – Perfectionism is a self defeating attitude. The truth is that we all fall short of perfection. 
• 32. “You will get through this” – At times, everything seems unbearable. We are stressed out by all kinds of problems. We wonder why our lives are so complicated and painful. 
• 33. It’s only temporary” – Pain is inevitable in life. No matter how hard we try, there are certain things we cannot control.
• 34. “Smile and make someone else happy” – A smile goes a very long way. It takes less effort to give a genuine smile than to criticize yourself and put yourself down.
• 35. “Every little bit helps” – Small acts of kindness go a very long way. Even the smallest gesture makes a difference. 
• 36. Actions speak louder than words” – Sometimes we tend to overthink before acting. This causes anxiety, stress and fear. However, this type of thinking just keeps us stuck in loops. 
• 37. Think positive thoughts…”- Our minds play an important role in determining whether we approach life positively or negatively.
• 38. “Take one step forward” – Everyone wants to be successful. It’s normal to feel excited about reaching goals and dreams. However, sometimes we find ourselves overwhelmed with doubt and fear.
• 39. “The past is history” – Life is full of ups and downs. Some days seem better while others aren’t. But regardless of what happens, we always have the opportunity to choose our attitude going into each new situation.
• 40. “You must first believe in yourself” – We may feel discouraged from time to time because we face challenges or disappointments. At times we lose hope and start believing that nothing will ever change. 
• 41. Stop dwelling on negative things.” – Dwelling on negative emotions such as anger, sadness, guilt or regret only leads to more misery and unhappiness. 
• 42. “You really never know how much someone cares until they don’t show it anymore.” – People who love us may not be willing to tell us that they love us. 
• 43. “Believe in yourself! No matter what anyone says, true happiness comes from within.” – Being happy doesn‘t depend simply on circumstances but also on our own choices and attitudes. 
• 44. “Don’t let failure define you!” – Failure is inevitable. Most failures happen at some point in our lives. But we shouldn‘t allow them to hold us back from achieving great outcomes in future.
• 45. “It is easy to forgive those who hurt us; it is hard to forgive those who don’t even know how to apologize.” – Sometimes people fail to realize that forgiveness works both ways. 
• 46. We have to learn to appreciate every moment that passes by, because someday those moments will become hours, days, weeks, months and years!” – No matter where I’ve been in my life, I always had a good attitude.
• 47. “If you are feeling like nothing is going right, just remember that everything happens for a reason.” – Life is a very long series of coincidences which bring together different people at various times.
• 48. “Sometimes pain must exist before healing can occur.” – Through painful experiences, we gain wisdom and knowledge. These tough lessons can teach us valuable life lessons that we wouldn’t receive otherwise.
• 49. “Everything happens for a reason.” – We often hear this phrase, especially from religious people, who believe that God has his reasons for all things. 
• 50. “You cannot control your destiny. You CAN only create your own reality.” – We are responsible for our actions. Whatever we think, say or do determines our reality. We are ultimately accountable for our own success and failures.
• 51. “When you lose someone close to you, the person usually died in order for you to live.” – When someone passes away, it’s not as if he/she didn’t come into our lives at some point or other. They were here for a specific purpose, and their absence leaves an enormous void in our hearts.
• 52. “No day goes by without its share of difficulties. But the key is to find something to laugh at. Then, even during dire circumstances, you’ll be able to smile and get through it with ease.” – Our smiles allow us to face any situation with a calm mind and relaxed spirit.
• 53. “The best way to endure hardship is to turn anger into hope, resentment into forgiveness, jealousy into compassion and bitterness into gratitude.” – As humans, we experience joys and sorrows throughout our entire lives.
• 54. “Life is a journey. Enjoy the scenery along the way!” – Life is full of unexpected events. Some moments are great, while some are terrible. Either way, when it comes to life-changing decisions, we must prepare ourselves mentally, physically and emotionally.
• 55. “Whatever lies ahead will bring opportunities for growth. We just have to look at it that way.” – Obstacles are part of life. Without them, we would never learn anything.
• 56. “Don’t try to control those over which you have no power. Let go. Be free.” – Whenever we try to control someone else, regardless of why, the results won’t be pretty. In fact, most of the time, whatever we wish upon another becomes his/her problem, not ours.
• 57. “Sometimes, all we need to see is through our own eyes; sometimes, all we need is to hear with our own ears.” – The more often we speak words to the world, the more we become accustomed to hearing nothing but negative thoughts in our heads.
• 58. “If you want to grow spiritually and emotionally, don’t compare yourself to anyone else. Don’t dwell on past hurts or current disappointments. Focus entirely on learning from these experiences and moving forward.” – When comparing ourselves to others leads to feelings of inadequacy, then it’s useless to do this. Instead, focus only on the present moment.
• 59. “Remember: No matter who you think you are, where you’ve been or what you’ve done, no one is perfect. You’re human, after all.” – There are many ways to view ourselves. From the outside, we may appear successful and flawless.
• 60. “It doesn’t matter how much wealth you accumulate. It matters how you spend your money.” – Money doesn’t make us happy. Instead, material possessions usually leave us feeling empty inside.
• 61. “Happiness cannot be purchased. Happiness is something that grows within every person.” – This statement couldn’t ring truer than when speaking about real true love.
• 62. “There really is no right or wrong answer. It depends on how you ask the question.” – Asking questions does not equal getting answers. Asking a question means that we care enough to know what is going on. In turn, we can then apply this information into action.
• 63. “We can’t always control the uncontrollable. But we can choose to let things happen or not.” – Some situations in life are beyond our control. Even though we may feel helpless at times, these events will eventually pass anyway.
• 64. “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Often times, major changes in our lives happen slowly over time. Just think about building muscle. A few years ago, all we needed to build muscle was heavy lifting and cardio.
• 65. “Life is too short to wake up one morning wondering why you woke up.” – Everyone has had rough moments throughout their life. However, unless we take the time to reflect on past experiences, we won’t learn anything except to repeat the mistakes already made.
• 66. “You cannot live your life through other people’s eyes.” – We often depend on others for approval instead of relying on ourselves. To grow and become better people, we ought to rely solely on ourselves. We shouldn’t ask anyone else to define us.
• 67. “It takes two hands to clap.” – If only it were such a simple matter! No matter how hard we work to improve our current situation, sometimes success seems unattainable or impossible to achieve. How frustrating it is to be stuck in a rut.
• 68. “The longer you wait before reaching out, the harder it gets.” – Sometimes when we feel like giving up, it’s just easier to give up. 
• 69. “If you don’t try, you will never fail.” – It’s really true. Without trying, we wouldn’t be given any opportunities to succeed. And if we don’t make the most of those chances, then we won’t ever be successful.
• 70. “There is always something you can do today that will bring you closer to where you want to be tomorrow.” – Nothing stays stagnant forever. Even after being stuck in a rut for awhile, it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture — to forget about the ultimate purpose we set for ourselves in the first place.
• 71. “The biggest regret I have is having given up on myself. I gave up believing in my own abilities to do things and to accomplish my desires.” – There’s one thing that holds me back more than anything else: doubt.
• 72. “Sometimes you need to forget the past.” – The truth is that most people live in their heads far too much. They dwell on the negative aspects of their life instead of focusing on what they’ve done right and on all the incredible opportunities they have in front of them.
• 73. “One of the greatest gifts we can give someone is encouragement.” – When we help others feel better by encouraging them whenever they feel down, we are showing them exactly why we should encourage each other during hard times.
• 74. When you stop putting yourself last, you start living.” – This mentality is key to achieving something good in your life! If you want to achieve something big, then you must first know that you actually deserve it. 
• 75. “Nothing is impossible, but everything takes longer than expected.” – Most people like to think that they’re pretty strong and independent.

Conclusion

I hope that these words of encouragement have helped you to heal from any kinds of emotional abuse, any types of trauma, as well as anxiety disorders that you may have in your daily life.

Best of luck!