Dealing with Trauma

Trauma is a deeply distressing or disturbing experience that happenswhen a person encounters severe psychological and emotional distress in response to a life-threatening event likenatural disasters, acts of violence (assault, abuse, terrorist attacks, and mass shootings), and accidents. Since the trauma mayhave lastingconsequences, healing can help you put a trauma to rest and proceed with your life. Do self-care by coping with your emotions and healing with your body. Embrace new methods to help you stay calm and utilize other people for support. You may reach out to loved ones, friends, counselor, or join a support group as part of your healing process.Other positive coping skills may include avoiding drugs and alcohol, maintaininghealthy meals, exercising, and sleep hygiene.Experts can help you with ways to identify, cope and diminish the traumatic effects.

Most people may have intense responses immediately after, and at times for several weeks or months after experiencing a traumatic event.

• Warning signs include:
• Altered sleep pattern
• Getting sad, anxious, or annoy
• Difficulty focusing
• Repeatedly thinking about the event that led to the trauma
• These may be normal responses and typically reduce over the time.
• If stressful thoughts and feelings persist for a long time and affect activities of daily living, seek professional assistance.
• Warning signs that someone may need help will include:
• Having nightmares and or flashbacks
• Impaired sleep
• Excessive worrying, getting very anxious, afraid or sad
• Frequent cry spells
• Experiencing frightening thoughts, reliving the experience
• Being angry, resentful, or irritable
• Avoiding places or people that bring back disturbing memories and responses.
• Becoming isolated from family and friends
• Difficulty thinking clearly
• Avoiding people, place and things that revisit disturbing memories
• Physical responses such as upset stomach, fatigue, headache, getting easily startled, racing heart, sweats, etc.
• People with past traumatic experiences associated with ongoing stress, or who lack support and/or with history ofother mental health conditions may be more liable to stronger symptoms and need additional help. Unfortunately, some people cope maladaptively by self-medicating with alcohol or other drugs. Even though illicit drug use may temporarily suppress symptoms, the end story is that they make life more troublesome.