Apart from the fact whether they have directly witnessed a traumatic event or not, the shock of the incident can cause anyone to experience trauma. Anxiety tends to spread, affecting acquaintances. People’s reactions can vary significantly after experiencing a shocking event, and they may undergo differing mental and physical changes and pain over a certain period.
Symptoms of Trauma
If you’ve recently gone through a sudden accident or disaster, you might notice several reactions. Physically, these could include insomnia, body tremors, fatigue, loss of appetite, digestive issues, and decreased energy. Psychologically, you might experience anxiety, fear, anger, despair, and guilt. You could also have nightmares and experience flashbacks of the event, either because you’re trying to forget it or because it was so intense that it continues to feel very real.
What Happens If You Ignore Trauma?
Ignoring all the adverse effects and signs could lead to depression, panic disorder, or anxiety disorder, albeit the pain of trauma may fade over time. Moreover, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may also follow. If you’re experiencing these symptoms, you’ll need your willpower, the care of those around you, and professional help, such as medication or counseling.
Behaviors to Avoid When Trauma is Severe
For those who are experiencing severe trauma, avoiding being alone is crucial since solitariness can lead to further immersion in negative thoughts. Relying on addictive substances like alcohol or cigarettes to forget your pain is also unhelpful. Lastly, be mindful not to blame yourself for the incident and feel guilty, which leads to depression.
How to Alleviate Psychological Pain?
When stressed, our muscles tense up, and our breathing becomes unstable. Deep breathing or belly breathing can help calm your mind and body. It’s also important to acknowledge your difficult situation and give yourself encouragement and comfort. If your psychological distress is severe, it’s not a bad idea to take time and relax by watching a non-triggering video, reading a book, or playing a game.
The Role of Those Around You Is Important
Meeting with people who understand your situation and asking for help and conversation can provide comfort and support. Those around you should listen to your story, try to understand your emotional pain, and actively show interest in your current state. They should also be careful with their words and actions to ensure you don’t feel guilty.
The Spread of Anxiety
Our brains have special neurons called mirror neurons. These mirror neurons are activated when we act and witness something happening to someone else, which is considered a factor in the spread of traumas. Seeing someone tense or anxious can cause changes in the observer, such as an increased heart rate, proving that stress and anxiety can spread to others.
Engage in Positive Conversations
When a light and pleasant conversation suddenly shifts to politics or changes to a topic unrelated to the essence of the event, creating anxiety, it’s easy to feel blue. In such cases, how about acknowledging the other person’s opinion, respecting their perspective, and navigating the conversation more positively?
Seeing Anxiety in a Positive Light
We need to look at stress and anxiety from a different perspective. Research shows that people who perceive stress as a source of vitality feel better emotionally and physically. Often, a negative situation induces anxiousness. In these cases, changing your perspective and comforting yourself that this is a jumping-off point for something positive to happen can be one method.
Making Meditation a Daily Routine
When one’s mind is calm and quiet, one’s emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and self-regulation improve. In other words, mindful people are less sensitive to others’ stress. If setting aside a specific time for meditation is challenging, it’s good to have a short meditation time before going to bed.
Let’s Get Moving
When stressed, our heart beats faster, our pulse quickens and our breathing becomes shallow. We also sweat from our palms and become mentally sharp. When adrenaline surges like this, why not engage in active activities to fritter away these emotions? Moving your body can be helpful even if it’s not strenuous exercise.
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