We Break Because We Are Human: We Heal Through Connection

Author: Lynda Chebbihi

Feeling overwhelmed after distressing events is part of being human, not a sign of weakness. When your body reacts with a racing heart, tense muscles, or intrusive memories, it is protecting you. These are survival responses to threat, not failure.

When trauma overwhelms the nervous system, it can disconnect you from your body and emotions. This dissociation helps you cope in the moment, but over time it can fragment your sense of self. Healing begins when you talk about what happened and allow your story to reconnect.

Reach out to people you trust. Whether through friends, family, or therapy, connection helps transform distress into meaning and isolation into strength. Psychiatrist W.H.R. Rivers once wrote that emotional attachment is the strongest protection against psychological breakdown. That still holds true today.

I know what it feels like to live on alert and to carry survivor guilt. My own experiences of conflict in Algeria left deep marks. Over time, I learnt to ground myself, remind my body that it is safe, and rebuild trust. My healing came through sport, creativity, and psychotherapy.

Beyond trauma lies something powerful: growth, connection, and renewed purpose.

Trust your process.