Understanding the Profound Impact of Challenging Lived Experiences on Your Identity + Sense of Self
Written by Amanda Sharp, MA, AMFT and therapist at Thrive Therapy Santa Barbara
Challenging lived experiences, whether its trauma, loss, or adversity, changes the way that you experience the world and how you view yourself.
You did not choose to go through the challenges that you’ve faced. Life can be incredibly unpredictable, and sometimes we find ourselves thrown into difficult circumstances without any say in the matter. However, despite not having chosen these experiences, you possess the power to decide how you move forward from them.
To move forward and heal, it is important to recognize how your challenging life experiences may be affecting your sense of self, identity, and sense of safety. Here are 3 ways that you might notice the impact of these experiences:
5 ways challenging experiences impact your sense of self + safety
1. Negative Thoughts
Challenging events can cause you to fall into negative thinking patterns. Do you find yourself jumping to the worst possible conclusion or discounting the positive interactions in life? These are just a couple of examples of negative thinking patterns that can result from a response to trauma or adversity.
2. Feeling undeserving of love or happiness
Do you blame yourself for events that were not your fault and struggle with feelings of being undeserving of love or happiness? Are you engaging in self-sabotaging behaviors when things are going your way? Enduring trauma can lead to difficulty in recognizing your own value and holding a sense of empowerment.
3. Difficulty trusting others
If your challenging life event was due to being betrayed or mistreated by a trusted individual, it is easy to generalize this distrust to others as a defense mechanism. It can also be difficult to establish healthy boundaries and form genuine connections after previous boundaries may have been crossed.
Therapy offers a safe and nurturing space where you can explore your emotions, process your experiences, and learn valuable coping skills to navigate life's challenges with resilience and grace.You deserve to live a life filled with joy, purpose, and meaning, and therapy can be a powerful tool to help you reclaim that sense of empowerment. You do not have to go through this journey alone. We encourage you to book a complimentary consultation with one of our compassionate therapists at Thrive Therapy to learn more about our services. Together, we can work toward a future where you feel more empowered and connected.
about thrive therapy
Thrive Therapy Santa Barbara is located in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara and offers in person therapy in our mountain view office and telehealth sessions throughout the state of California.
Thrive holds significant meaning for us. To thrive means: to grow through the hard things we go through. And when paired with therapy, we can’t imagine a better way to describe the heart, grit and tenacity it takes to do the brave work of looking inward, gently and kindly unlearn, heal and hold space for the lived experiences we’ve journeyed through.
At Thrive Therapy we specialize in working with pregnancy + postpartum mental health, We support pregnant and postpartum moms and non birthing parents navigating postpartum mood and anxiety disorders (PMADS). Some clients reach out to navigate birth trauma, while others notice they are experiencing postpartum anxiety, postpartum depression or are struggling to synthesize the changes they are navigating and intergrate newfound parenthood into who they are today.
We also support individuals navigating disordered eating and body image, alongside anxiety, depression, grief and trauma.
We believe that therapy should feel inviting, warm and create a container to feel comfortable to open up. Enjoy a cup of a coffee or a la croix from our fridge, make yourself comfortable on our cozy white linen couch and enjoy our fiddle plants and neutral aesthetic as you sink into the moment and engage in your session.
Check out our current group offerings or reach out to schedule a complimentary consultation for individual therapy or group therapy in Santa Barbara, California. | hello@thrivetherapysb.com