Hi Anzee,
Thanks for your reply! So sorry to hear about your ICU experience, that would have been so scary and it's so hard not being able to see loved ones especially during those times. It makes my day to hear you found my suggestions helpful as well, so thanks for that :)
That is a really good question. I've never actually thought about this before! I reckon I was prompted by the course I was studying. Some of the content made me realised I had 'swept some things under the rug' and I had a realisation that taking the time and putting in the energy to heal myself wasn't selfish at all... (I spent so much time doing charity work and helping those around me prior to this) and then I realised if I healed myself, it would not just be for myself but for my loved ones as well, so I could be a better friend and family member for them too. After all you cannot help others if your own cup is empty. The more I filled my own cup and worked on healing my own wounds, the more I could help others do the same and the more sustainable it was for me. My relationships improved the more I learned about myself and my triggers and hot buttons. I'm so glad you found your therapist to be amazing. I know that when you disclose certain things in counselling it is mandatory for them to refer you to someone more specialised in that area if they feel it's outside of their own training or abilities, however hopefully you can still see her for other things and then have someone specialised in trauma for that stuff? Another tip I forgot to add to the recommendations was making a list of self-care activities that fill your cup. Some of mine include: Meditation, float therapy (or an epsom salt bat), gardening, getting out in the sun for 10 mins & listening to a podcast etc :) make the list as long as possible and then on those days that we may feel a little stuck in a rut we can pull out the list and give one of these a go! Thanks again for your reply, it's so nice to know you read my response and it was okay :)