Trauma is like an icy chill and the more you endure it, the more likely you will feel numb.

The trouble with numb is that it leads to functioning on autopilot; we forget to think about many tasks and go about our daily activities like robots. We move away from constructive or positive thoughts and we’re often too tired or despondent to care.

But we need to care – because we all deserve happiness .

So how can we do things differently with minimum effort? How can we start lining up the stepping stones towards a recovery without having to tax our addled, cluttered heads? Where do we start and is there an easy way?

I think the answer is yes. What I do is make a conscious effort to do the ordinary, mundane daily tasks differently.

Here’s some ideas: pop something different on that you’ve not worn for ages; style your hair in a new way; have cereal instead of toast; take a different route to work; make that call to a friend or family member that you’ve been meaning to make for a while…

None of these suggestions, or any of yours, should be taxing – and they only involve your actions. The point of this exercise is to re-engage with yourself, or to help awaken your numb mind. So often in life it’s the little things which can make a difference in helping us to start feeling better about ourselves.