Two years ago, on Christmas Eve, a sudden and traumatic shift dismantled the foundations of my life. It was a fundamental breaking point that brought with it the heavy fog of depression, the sharp edges of anxiety, and the quiet desperation of sleepless nights. When the life you have spent decades building is called into question, the silence that follows can be deafening.
Recovery rarely happens in a vacuum. For many, it requires a guide—someone to help navigate the wreckage and identify which pieces are worth keeping and which must be forged anew. Yes, I went to therapy but while I could intellectualize my thoughts, my brain was not quite listening enough to move me forward.
Having experienced Margot’s yoga and group hypnosis classes in the past, there was a pre-existing foundation of trust. I knew Margot would be the person to help me regain my life.
The task Margot gave me was deceptively simple: Write ten affirmations.
An affirmation is more than just a positive sentence; it is a blueprint. Through the process of writing and rewriting them, those ten statements evolved into a “New Life Plan”.
It is a common misconception that healing means the “undoing” of what happened. The external facts of my trauma remained unchanged. The people who caused the damage did not change, and the events of that Christmas Eve cannot be erased from my mind or my history. Instead, the transformation occurred internally through steering thoughts away from trauma, improved self-worth and a fresh perspective; literally falling back in love with the process of living.
The journey from “broken” to “physically stronger than in 20 years” is not a straight line, but it is a possible one. By shifting the focus from the damage caused by others to the power of one’s own narrative, I found a way to not only survive the trauma but to build a life that is perhaps more authentic and vibrant than the one that came before.
Trust the process and trust the strength within you.
