Our Brains Save the Day

When I think back over my life — at all the times I’ve felt like I’d reached the point of utter defeat, that I could absolutely not go one step further– I was DONE — I find the fact that I’m sitting here writing this fairly amusing. Well, almost amusing – it was not a piece of cake going thru those times.

The fact of our innate capacity to survive, even while battling with mental health/physical health/horrific past experiences and the resultant images and intrusive input often jumping in uninvited, lead to some pretty destructive but understandable attempts to manage what goes on in our brains (think of the familiar coping mechanisms of alcohol, drugs, sex, rage episodes, etc.), then that capacity we have to survive is impressive. And for many, this has been our brains way of trying to manage and survive the onslaught of the past. Our Brains are trying to save us again (or still).

Because here you sit. 

Sometimes we’re still here through no fault (or effort) of our own. And sometimes we are still here because we had to exert an effort that defies description in words, to remain on this planet.

And either way…? Here we sit. We are not always thrilled at this fact. Because the fallout from survival often sucks.

I encourage others to get curious. To begin or continue to ask the questions of “why me,” but to approach this question in a different way. I’ve discovered over the years that the reality of not being able to have concrete answers to “why” is sometimes the hardest work we do initially.

When I found good and wise people who guided me through that part of my trauma work, I could then begin to find answers to the other big questions. For example: ‘Now what am I supposed to do with this crap?? ‘And for what it’s worth, I believe there are things we can do now with this stuff. 

The answers are absolutely within us, and they will enable you to view your world through a new lens. Our brains Save the Day again. Who knew? Ha.

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This first appeared in The Havok Journal on October 28, 2024.

Shelly Harlow is the mother of two US Army veterans. She has worked for the last 20 years in the mental health field with those who have seen and endured more than most humans should ever have to and believes firmly that we are our own most powerful healers. Her own background and history are the foundation for her work with others and for her writing. Her hard-headedness has taken her further than any degree ever has. She remains a cynical optimist whose interest in humans has never faltered, knowing how flawed and amazing we all are.

As the Voice of the Veteran Community, The Havok Journal seeks to publish a variety of perspectives on a number of sensitive subjects. Unless specifically noted otherwise, nothing we publish is an official point of view of The Havok Journal or any part of the U.S. government.