Pops Collective CIC
Wellbeing Resources
What happened to you matters.
A gentle guide for anyone living with the effects of trauma - whether something happened recently, long ago, or so often you stopped counting. Your experience is valid, your responses are normal, and you do not have to make sense of it alone.
Support Helplines
Free, confidential listening - for any kind of distress, however you want to describe it.
Run by Refuge. Free, confidential, 24/7. For anyone affected by domestic abuse.
24/7 support line for anyone affected by sexual violence, at any point in their life.
Free, confidential 24/7 support after a crime or traumatic event—whether or not it was reported.
You Are Not Broken
Your mind and body are doing what they were built to do.
Trauma is anything that overwhelmed your ability to cope at the time it happened. It could have been a single moment or years of small ones. It could have been something other people would call "not that bad", or something that has no name in everyday language. None of those comparisons matter. If your nervous system registered it as too much, it was too much.
After difficult experiences, the mind and body often keep trying to protect you - long after the danger has passed. That is why you might feel jumpy, exhausted, numb, disconnected, or like you're bracing for something even when nothing is happening. These are not signs that something is wrong with you. They are signs that something happened to you, and your system is still trying to make sense of it.
Healing from trauma is possible. It is rarely quick, and it is rarely linear—but with the right support, the grip of what happened can loosen. People do come back to themselves. Not the same as before, but more whole than they thought they could be.
You do not have to remember everything, talk about anything specific, or have the "right" story before you ask for help. You do not have to know what happened to you was trauma. The fact that something still hurts is reason enough.
A few things worth holding on to:
- ★Trauma is what happened inside you, not just what happened to you.
- ★You do not need to justify, prove, or rank your pain to deserve support.
- ★Numbness, anger, shame, fear and confusion are all valid responses—sometimes all in the same hour.
- ★Your body keeps the score, but it can also be helped to put it down.
- ★You don't have to forgive anyone to begin healing.
- ★Going slowly is not the same as not moving.
Bringing Yourself Back to the Present
Gentle grounding skills.
When the past pushes through into the present—through memories, sensations, sudden waves of fear or numbness—grounding techniques can help your body remember it is safe now. These are not about pushing feelings away. They are about reminding your nervous system where, and when, you are.
Try these slowly. There is no "right" way. Different things work for different people, and what helps one day may not help the next. The aim is simply to send a small signal to your body: I am here. I am now. I am safe enough in this moment.
Feel your feet.
Press your feet firmly into the floor. Notice the weight of your body in the chair. Feel the texture of your socks, the firmness of the ground. You are held. You are here.
5-4-3-2-1: senses anchor.
Name five things you can see, four you can touch, three you can hear, two you can smell, one you can taste. Slow. Let each sense bring you a little further into now.
Long, slow out-breaths.
Breathe in for a count of four, out for a count of six or eight. A longer out-breath gently tells your nervous system it's safe to settle. If counting feels stressful, just sigh out—that works too.
Temperature shift.
Hold something cold (a glass of water, a cool flannel) or something warm (a mug, your hands under a tap). A clear change in physical sensation can help interrupt overwhelm.
Name what is true right now.
Out loud or in your head: "My name is... Today is... I am in... I am safe enough in this moment." Simple, specific facts help orient a frightened nervous system.
Reach for connection.
Text a trusted person. Stroke a pet. Call a helpline. You don't need to explain anything—just being near another nervous system, human or animal, helps yours regulate.
Where to Find Specialist Support
Trauma usually needs more than self-help to fully unwind—and there is no shame in needing professional support, only courage in seeking it. Below are pathways tailored to different experiences. Take whichever fits, and don't worry if more than one does.
Your GP and NHS Talking Therapies
Your GP can refer you for trauma-focused therapy on the NHS, including trauma-focused CBT and EMDR—the two treatments most recommended by NICE. In England you can also self-refer to NHS Talking Therapies without a GP visit.
For Survivors of Sexual Violence
Rape Crisis (0808 500 2222, rapecrisis.org.uk) supports women and girls. Survivors UK (survivorsuk.org) supports men, boys and non-binary people. Both offer specialist counselling, regardless of when the abuse happened.
For Survivors of Domestic Abuse
National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247 (24/7, run by Refuge).
Women's Aid: (womensaid.org.uk).
Galop: 0800 999 5428 for LGBT+ survivors.
Mankind: 01823 334 244 for male survivors.
For Veterans, Childhood Abuse, and Other Specialist Support
Combat Stress: 0800 138 1619 (24/7) for veterans.
NAPAC: 0808 801 0331 for adult survivors of childhood abuse.
PTSD UK: (ptsduk.org) for information on PTSD and complex PTSD.
Freedom from Torture: (freedomfromtorture.org) for survivors of torture.