When I talk to trauma survivors about their experiences in the workplace, I often sense that they are more interested in changing their work environment than in changing themselves. This might seem like a bit of tough love, but changing your experiences in the workplace is an inside job. Of course, there are opportunities to advocate for trauma survivors and for more trauma-informed workplaces, but often the challenges that trouble us most come from within us.
We wonder why we are experiencing the same challenges at this new company, in this new role, or new line of business. It’s because we’ve taken our trauma with us.
We see the workplace through the lens of trauma. We cannot run from our trauma because it is part of our story…not the whole story…just a part. I’ve heard it said that the only way to overcome it is to work through it. I am not saying that triggers do not abound in the workplace because they certainly do, but if there were nothing to trigger, it wouldn’t be a problem.
We bring our core beliefs about ourselves and the world with us wherever we go. If we see ourselves as victims, we will feel victimized no matter what environment we are in. If we’ve been told our whole lives that we are not enough, we will feel like nothing we do in the workplace is ever enough for our bosses, executives, companies, or customers. If we were neglected as children, we might not feel heard or seen in the workplace. If we experienced abuse at the hand of an authority figure, we might unconsciously believe that all authority figures or leaders are dangerous or out to hurt us.
Personally, this has been one of the many challenges that I’ve had to work on. While I am advocating for change in the corporate world, my intense desire is to see trauma survivors unlock the chains from their past that are holding them back from achieving their career goals. None of us asked for these obstacles to be put in our path, but they were still dumped there, and now we need to figure out what to do about them. We didn’t have a choice about what happened to us as children, but we have a choice and a voice to determine what happens now.
I am on the path with you, encouraging you, and cheering you on. I want you to be successful, but success is not just handed to you like a participant trophy from a youth soccer program. You have to do the work. I have to do the work. It is an investment in ourselves. For me, it is looking my abuser in the face and saying, “You are NOT going to stop me from succeeding.”
What about you? Where are you on this journey? Can you hear my voice cheering you on? Go…Fight…Win!!!
Believer. Leader. Learner. Advocate. Writer. Speaker. Coach. Mentor. Triathlete. Encourager. Survivor.
Most of all, I am a fellow traveler on the rocky road called, Trauma Recovery. My mission is to minimize the effects of trauma for survivors in the workplace.
