Problem: Article: If you're nursing a serious family wound, such as childhood abuse or neglect, you should deal with this injury as soon as possible. Otherwise, if you keep suppressing it, you'll find your ability to trust and love in other relationships and aspects of life will suffer. For serious problems, you should seek the help of a therapist to analyze and guide you through your feelings. A licensed professional can also help you brainstorm ways to deal with the past and move on in the future. If you have health insurance, you should ask your provider about which doctors or services they cover. Websites like PsychologyToday and goodtherapy.org have searchable online databases that can help you find professionals in your area. When reflecting on the impact a betrayal or trauma has had on your life, have your therapist help you identify your objectives for the process. For example, do you want to eventually forgive your family member and re-forge former bonds?  Or, do you just want to find a way to get over the past so that it doesn't affect your life in the future? Since seriously abusive family members rarely apologize for the past, your goals should not include receiving an apology or even recognition from the injurious person. Personal healing after painful family wounds is largely dependent on self-esteem: you'll only be able to acknowledge your pain and get over any associated shame if you believe you're a person worthy of respect and happiness. You can work on building this self-esteem by investing time and energy in yourself and your interests.  Physical activities like jogging, swimming, or team sports will buoy your mood by releasing endorphins and relieve anxiety by burning off adrenaline.  Creative pursuits such as painting or writing will help you to express your feelings and feel a sense of accomplishment, as well as helping you recover from family trauma. Getting over a troubled family past is much easier if you work on building trust and intimate relationships with friends. It will improve your self-esteem, improve your mental health, and even boost your physical health, all while proving that you aren't totally dependent on nuclear family ties.   You can strengthen existing friendships by making time for personal conversations, trust-building activities, and attending one another's special events. One of most important parts of the healing process is closure, and a wonderful way to achieve closure is to write a letter and express unaired feelings.  Even if the other person doesn't claim accountability or never even responds to the letter, you'll feel a sense of relief at having released pent-up sadness and anger. Depending on your goals, you might have decided not to address the family member directly. You can still reap the therapeutic benefits of this step, though, by writing a letter which you won't actually send. You can say all the things you've always wanted without putting yourself in a vulnerable position and potentially re-aggravating healing wounds. . Even if you intend to never see or speak to the offending family member again, you might want to consider forgiving the family member for the sake of your own mental and emotional wellbeing. This is because forgiveness can help you let go of the past and feel liberated moving forward. You can ask your therapist for help creating a manageable, productive plan for forgiveness that doesn't compromise your progress. If there is an abusive family member, it may be necessary to dissolve your relationship with that person. As hard as it is to repair conflict within the family, it is equally as hard to protect yourself from an abuser within the family, especially if you experience pressure from other family members to have a relationship with the person. This can be very difficult and complicated, so enlist the help of a therapist to strategize how to do this. You may wish to tell the other members of your family why you are ending this relationship. An unfortunate truth is sometimes other family members will not want to believe what you are saying. Your therapist can help you prepare for this. If other family members are siding with your abuser, then you may need to remove them from your life as well.
Summary: Seek help from a licensed professional. Identify your goals for recovery. Do things that make you feel good about yourself. Build strong relationships with others. Write a letter or make a phone call. Forgive Know when to end the relationship.

In one sentence, describe what the following article is about: Measure the distance between your armpits to your upper torso. Use a simple piece of string, a small-diameter rope, or a body strap. Cut two pieces of material to this length and see if they fit around your body. The chest strap should be leveled to your arm pit on your upper chest.  Once you find a comfortable fit, seal the ends with a knot to prevent unraveling. You can also use Velcro to attach the chest strap. Measure and cut out two thin strings that will go over your shoulders and attach to the chest strap to hold it in place. Take a measurement while the chest strap is attached, then remove the chest strap to attach the shoulder straps.  You can knot the straps in place or use velcro to secure the shoulder straps to the chest strap. Imagine the design of a bra to help construct this design. There are plenty of options for underarm guards or pads. You can either make your own pads or buy a pack of premade pads designed to attack the sweat. Use whatever product or design that fit your needs. Use a safety pin or tape to attach the underarm guards to the harness where it crosses under your armpits. The guards should fit snugly against your underarms without impeding circulation. The easiest way to put on the harness is to insert each arm as if pulling on a cut-off T-shirt. Put your head through the harness. Adjust the length of the shields as needed. Once you're satisfied with the placement of the guards and harness, put the rest of your clothing on.  Determine if you can see the harness while fully clothed by looking in a mirror. One way to hide the harness is by wearing an under shirt over the harness and then wear an additional shirt. Loose fit clothing will also help conceal the harness. Give yourself at least one week to test the comfort of the harness before trying a new technique.
Summary:
Create a chest strap. Attach two shoulder straps. Acquire a pair of shields. Attach the guards to the harness. Put on the harness before your other clothing.