Homecoming: Overcome Fear and Trauma to Reclaim Your Whole, Authentic Self

by Thema Bryant-Davis

Home is more than a physical location; it is an emotional and spiritual space of belonging, appreciation, and love.

Coming home to yourself is giving yourself the things you have been waiting for, the things you thought only others could give you, and the things you thought you could never receive.

The only way to change directions is to start by being honest with yourself about the ways you have felt lost, disconnected, unfulfilled, or stuck.

Your feelings may seem inconvenient because they speak to an unmet need.

By accepting what you can’t change and acting on what you can, you manifest the life you want.

A part of homecoming is giving myself permission to take my healing out of the hands of those who harmed me. I open myself to the possibility that this person is no longer the center of my life.

As I come home, I remove the blinders, and this increased awareness allows me to make more honest decisions to create an abundant, fulfilling life.

you may try to reshape yourself in the likeness of someone else’s ideals. Dealing with manipulative people can lead to silencing our voice in the hope of gaining or keeping what is presented to us as love.

The truth is that how you are treated is not a reflection of your worth or identity.

I cannot guarantee that you will meet someone down the road, but I can invite you to consider if the road you are on is fulfilling, loving, nourishing ground for your growth and wellness.

Consider what it would mean to you to shape a life where your joy is a priority, where you live as if you are worthy and deserving of joy.

Emotional intelligence is the capacity to be tuned into and to regulate your feelings, and to relate to others in a way that takes into consideration their emotional experience as well as your own.

Communicate what you feel, and if you are aware of it, also ask for what you would like. If you’re not sure what this is, that’s fine, too. Friends and partners can help us with their presence even when we don’t have or want a plan of action.

If I am alive only in the presence and gaze of another, I am disconnected from myself.

Can you decide today to no longer be shocked by people who are consistent in their disregard of you?

Emotional self-care involves taking your self-esteem out of the hands of those who do not care about you. If someone despises you, give yourself the gift of not waiting for their love before you can love yourself.

confidence allows you to simply be at peace with who you are right now.

An experience is also new if you are trying to approach it in a healthier way than before.

I love the juiciness of being a Black woman.

Give yourself the gift of honesty because you cannot heal what you will not acknowledge.

Dare to believe that your value and love for yourself are not dependent on someone else believing in it.

Shame causes you to feel like something is wrong with you, instead of focusing on the fact that something wrong was done to you.