To really, truly love who we are, we have to know ourselves. And I do not mean that frilly, all-types-of-only-goodness kind of love, either. I am talking about the raw emotion of love. The one that sees you in your darkest moments and wraps you in warmth – and the one that shows up when you are beaming with joy.

When we experience trauma, we often feel fragmented as we try to disown our traumatic experiences, almost as if we are denying parts of ourselves. It is hard to feel whole when you feel fragmented. It is even harder to live a life of joy.

If you want to gain command of your ego, you need to reduce its power. This will help you see more clearly, feel more grounded and make better decisions that are more in alignment with your life goals.

Distractions seem to happen every day. In fact, take a moment to think about all the distractions in your life. If you are like most people, you could probably create an entire list.

By decreasing distractions, you can remain focused on your awareness – and connect more powerfully to your inner awareness. This is what mindfulness is all about. It has the power to create new neural pathways and weaken old ones – something very important for trauma survivors. The consistent practice of mindfulness can change the structure and function of your brain.

To come home to yourself, you must cultivate self-awareness through a deep sense of being a friend to yourself. That is, you need to befriend yourself.

Though, if you are a trauma survivor, befriending yourself may not be so easy. In fact, it can be downright challenging. And, that’s ok. As you begin your healing journey, you will come to a point when it is necessary to reconnect with yourself, both body and mind.

Nobody wants to be stuck in the past, do they? It just happens. But there is something to be said about living in the moment – this moment. Being present can bring the greatest sense of peace to your life.

Denial stops you from having joy because repressing emotions creates an internal struggle that takes you out of alignment. But, when you overcome your denial, you stay true to yourself and increase your personal power.

Denial. Such an ugly word, but so common in our lives. And so hard to get rid of, too. It robs us of joy and happiness and leaves us feeling stuck.If you have ever dealt with the strongholds of denial, then it is time to overcome it – and encounter delight in our everyday lives.

When you reduce the power of your ego, this will help you become aware that you’re grounded in the truth. And, that who you really are is an expression of pure consciousness.

When you are suffering from trauma, your ego plays tricks on you – and the feelings that come as a result can be very overwhelming and difficult to deal with. One way to handle your ego in a healthy way can be working on forgiveness. And, to help you get started, I have to give you a quick strategy that will help you in your forgiveness process. See, for many, it’s easier to forgive themselves than others. And, for others, it’s easier to forgive other people than themselves. But, for EVERYBODY, forgiveness will be challenging.

When you reduce the power of your ego, you begin to live more in the present moment. Your limits fade when the fear of failure fades. Can you see that? The power of your ego is so strong that if you don’t get control of it, you can feel lost, desperate and confused. If you skip this step in the healing process, you will not break free from the belief that you are nothing more than the sum of your past experiences, stories, successes, and failures. And I want you to know absolutely, that you are so much more than that.

When you decrease distractions, it helps you stay focused on your awareness so you can more powerfully connect to your inner awareness.

Does this sound familiar? Do you tend to overwork or have a work addiction? I did. I used to work 80-plus hours each week. Before I knew it, more work kept piling up on my desk. I remember being totally exhausted and wondering - how on earth am I going to get through all of this work?

To Gain Peace, You Must Decrease Distractions

If you want to be more powerfully connected to your inner awareness, you are going to have to learn how to decrease your distractions in life.

Of course, to decrease your distractions, you have to increase your awareness of them, right?

This about the last time you tried to carry on an important conversation while listening to a TV blaring, dogs barking, and a toddler pulling on your leg. Distractions are disruptive. And, they can disturb your ability to connect to your inner awareness.

When you decrease distractions, you are much more capable of staying focused on your awareness. Then, as a result, you can more powerfully connect to your inner awareness.

You’ve come a long way by this point. In the Begin Your Transformation portion, a follow-up to my 3-month Stop Suffering Now and Make Peace With Your Past program, you will learn to go beyond simply existing. But, this is not easy. It is going to require more strategies and taking a deeper dive into integrating these strategies into your day to day life.

Before you can do anything else on your journey to making peace with your past, you need to know yourself.

When it comes to cultivating self-awareness, it means there is a conscious knowledge of your character, feelings, motives and desires. It is all about knowing yourself, especially on the inside. With all the clarity it can bring, it is important to be self-aware if you want to live a happy and joyful life.

Before you can truly know yourself, you need to know what it means to cultivate self-awareness.

Cultivating self-awareness is the conscious knowledge of your character, feelings, motives, and desires. It’s your self-knowledge or introspection. It is a state of being present with your thoughts, feelings and emotions. It helps you bring clarity to your internal state. It’s important to be self-aware in order to live a happy and joyful life.

How Well Do You Know Yourself?

No matter what your answer, know this: You need to know yourself.

And, knowing your self comes when you make the decision to begin cultivating self-awareness.