Are you traumatized? Do you need help? Read this article to know to to manage trauma!
What Is Trauma?
Trauma is an emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, rape, abuse, relationship abuse, loss or natural disaster. Immediately after the event, shock and denial are typical. Longer term reactions include unpredictable emotions, flashbacks, strained relationships, and even physical symptoms like headaches or nausea.
What are the types of Trauma?
- Acute trauma results from a single incident.
- Chronic trauma is repeated and prolonged such as domestic violence or abuse.
- Complex trauma is exposure to varied and multiple traumatic events, often of an invasive, interpersonal nature.
What causes Trauma?
- Domestic violence.
- The death of a loved one.
- Natural disaster
- war
- Sexual violence, rape, sexual assault, and/or harassment.
- Severe illness or injury.
What Trauma does to you
Trauma can make you more vulnerable to developing mental health problems. It can also directly cause post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Some people misuse alcohol, drugs, or self-harm to cope with difficult memories and emotions. Depending on how you’re affected, trauma may cause difficulties in your daily life.
How do you know you are Traumatized
Suffering from severe fear, anxiety, or depression. Unable to form close, satisfying relationships. Experiencing terrifying memories, nightmares, or flashbacks. Avoiding more and more anything that reminds you of the trauma.
How do you heal from Trauma
Recovery from trauma is not easy but it is possible. The most important and guaranteed ways of healing from trauma is practicing self-care and self-compassion. The followings are ways of moving past trauma;
- Talk about the event: After a traumatic event you might want to avoid things that remind you of the event, and avoid talking about what happened. However, research has shown that talking about the event and your feelings can help you to be more resilient. Avoiding memories and feelings has been shown to make people feel worse.
- Feel your feelings: Feeling your feelings, and accepting them, is key to healing from trauma. You may have some difficult feelings along the way, like anger, and that’s OK. It’s natural to have a wide variety of emotions, and there’s nothing wrong if some of them are new for you.
- Meditation: One act that’s well proven to support healing is mindfulness. It’s a method of experiencing life where you make a point of paying attention to each moment. You stay present for everything from your thoughts and feelings to how things are for you physically. This can help you relieve stress.
- Get busy: Engaging your brain in creative and artistic endeavors has been proven to improve physiological and psychological outcomes in people.
- Lean on your loved ones. Identify friends or family members for support.
- Do not spend too much alone
- Love yourself
- Be patient with yourself.
