Success after trauma requires a different kind of effort than the path taken by others.

If you have survived psychological trauma or are currently in the healing process, it is completely natural for your success to arrive “late” or for your journey to look different.

During trauma or intense stress, the brain prioritizes survival over growth. The prefrontal cortex—the area responsible for:

• Planning
• Creativity
• Decision-making
• Focus

…sees a decrease in activity as its energy is redirected toward a “protection mode.” This is why you might feel trapped by a fear of making decisions, chronic anxiety, overthinking, procrastination, exhaustion, or harsh self-criticism.

The challenge you face is significant because you are in a constant struggle to exit a “freeze state,” only to find yourself slipping back. The truth is, trauma doesn’t make you less capable; it simply forces your brain to work harder on protection than on achievement.

Comparing yourself to others is neither fair nor healthy. While they were building empires and milestones, you were busy building a safe space just to survive.

I realized this when I started preparing myself as a business owner. I asked myself:

• Why am I afraid even when everything is ready?
• Why does a small step require so much courage?
• Why do I avoid the very things that could change my life for the better?

As I began to heal, I noticed I had developed elite-level skills: resilience, persistence, and the ability to step out of my comfort zone. These were buried deep within me and became my greatest strengths once I chose recovery.

Healing requires us to accept that our success will come in its own way. Understanding why certain things feel heavy allows us to treat ourselves with compassion and gives us the chance to discover our true hidden strengths.

God is Great and Merciful. Peace be with you.