Children Overcoming Tragedy

I was browsing through Psychology Today when I found an article called Five Ways Children Overcome Tragedy. As a child who did have to overcome such things, I found this interesting. I wanted to look and see if I used any of these skills. Turns out, I did and I'll tell you just how I applied them to my life.

1. Focus on positive reinforcements. Basically, this is just talking about the love that is needed from surrounding adults, especially parents. As there was no way I was going to get love from my biological parents, my new family showed me more than what I knew how to take. My biggest struggle with this was accepting all they had to offer. However, once I learned how to do that, it helped immensely.
2. Maintain regular structure and routines. This provides children with a baseline - something stable. It could be anything from eating together at the dinner table to reading a bedtime story to playing a game. Whatever you choose to do, it will help the child feel secure and realize their safety. I began composing my routine right away so that I'd have something familiar. School was probably my save haven.
3. Nurture positive choices and teach problem-solving. This helps children distinguish between good and bad choices. Although sometimes it is assumed that everyone knows good from bad, that's not necessarily true. When I was growing up, my normal was completely different from everyone else's normal. My new parents did a good job of teaching me right from wrong. Believe it or not, I am still learning every day. Often times, I do things that I don't even realize are out of line. That's why my parents are there - to tell me what I'm doing wrong so I can correct it.
4. Remember every day is a new day & a new opportunity. This is so important because we're all human and we are all going to make mistakes - especially when we are healing. I still make mistakes on a daily basis, and because of my extreme personality, I'm usually go big. Either way, I am constantly reminding myself that "Just for today.." I can change things. My day can change at any given time and tomorrow begins a clean slate.
5. Understand that severe or ongoing problems require professional help. It is common for children and adults to be left with serious issues that require serious help after tragedy. I have a number of these issues. I have two counselors that I meet with weekly and many different problems to work through. This doesn't mean I'm a bad person or that I'll never heal. If anything, it makes me strong for getting the help I need. Just remember that everything takes time.

Hope this helps with others. It sure did help me(:
info from psychologytoday.com; picture from gorgeoushealthyme.com