Traumatic stress

Following a traumatic incident, such as the coronavirus pandemic, a car accident, plane crash, violent crime, terrorist attack, or a natural disaster such as an earthquake, hurricane, or flood, it's common to experience traumatic stress. You might experience extreme shock, confusion, and fear, or you might feel numb or overwhelmed by a slew of opposing emotions, all at once. These feelings aren't limited to those who witnessed the incident. We are all bombarded with disturbing images of disaster, misery, and loss almost as soon as they arise somewhere in the world, thanks to round-the-clock news and social media coverage. Repeated exposure will overpower the nervous system and cause traumatic stress in the same way that firsthand exposure can.

Traumatic stress can shatter your sense of security, leaving you feeling powerless and insecure in a dangerous world—especially if the traumatic incident was caused by someone else, such as a shooting or terrorist attack. You can be physically and emotionally exhausted, be overwhelmed with sorrow, or have trouble concentrating, sleeping, or controlling your temper. All of these are natural reactions to unusual events.

In the days or weeks following a devastating accident or disaster, the disturbing thoughts and sensations of traumatic stress—along with any painful physical symptoms—often begin to disappear as life returns to normal. But there's a lot you can do to help yourself heal and come to terms with the trauma you've been through. There are many ways to relax your nervous system and restore mental composure, whether you lived through the incident, witnessed it, were an emergency responder or medical professional, or endured traumatic stress in the aftermath.

Signs and symptoms

Whether or not you were directly affected by the traumatic incident, it's natural to be worried, frightened, and unsure about the future. Stress has overburdened the nervous system, resulting in a slew of strong emotions and physical responses. These traumatic stress symptoms can vary from mild to extreme, and they tend to come and go in waves. You can experience periods of feeling jittery and nervous, as well as periods of feeling detached and numb.

• Emotional symptoms

Shock and astonishment. You're having trouble embracing the truth of what happened, or you're feeling numb and detached from your emotions.

Fear is a powerful emotion. You're afraid that it'll happen again, or that you'll lose control or collapse.

Sadness or grief, particularly if people you know have died or have had life-changing events happen to them.

The feeling of being helpless. Violent crime, injuries, pandemics, and natural disasters can leave you feeling insecure and powerless, and they can also cause anxiety or depression.

Feeling guilty for living as others died, or a sense that you should have done anything to help.

Anger. You can be prone to emotional outbursts or be angry at God, governments, or those you believe are to blame.

Shame, especially for feelings or fears that you are unable to manage.

Relief. You may be glad that the worst is over, that you weren't as badly affected as some, or even optimistic that things would get better.

• Physical symptoms

Excessive sweating, dizziness or faintness, stomach squeezing or churning

Trembling, crying, cold sweats, a lump in the throat, or getting choked up are all symptoms of anxiety.

Rapid breathing, a racing pulse, and even chest pains or trouble breathing are all signs of a heart attack.

I couldn't sleep or stop pacing because my thoughts were racing. You may also have trouble focusing, memory issues, or be confused.

Sleeping habits have changed. For example, you might have insomnia or nightmares.

Changes in sexual function, as well as unexplained aches and pains, such as headaches.

Excessive intake of alcohol, nicotine, or narcotics, or a loss or rise of appetite.

Dealing with Traumatic Stress

Following a tragedy or traumatic incident, it can take time to clear the debris and restore the damage, and it can also take time to reclaim your emotional equilibrium and reconstruct your life. However, there are unique steps you can do to assist yourself and your loved ones in coping with the traumatic aftermath of trauma and moving on with your lives.

• Minimize media exposure

Although some survivors or witnesses of traumatic events feel that watching television coverage of the incident or witnessing the recovery effort helps them regain strength, others find that the reminders are traumatizing. Excessive exposure to photos of a traumatic incident, such as watching video clips on social media or news sites repeatedly, may induce traumatic stress in people who were not directly affected by the event, or retraumatize those who were.

• Accept your feelings

Traumatic stress can make you feel a variety of difficult and unexpected emotions, such as shock, rage, and guilt. These are natural responses to the loss of safety and protection (as well as life, limb, and property) that follows a disaster. Healing requires accepting these emotions and allowing yourself to feel what you're feeling.

• Make an effort to overcome your feeling of helplessness.

Taking action is also the key to overcoming traumatic stress. Positive behavior can assist you in overcoming feelings of anxiety, helplessness, and hopelessness, and even small acts can have a significant impact.

• Get going.

Exercise may be the last thing on your mind when you're dealing with traumatic stress, but it can help you relieve stress by burning off adrenaline and releasing feel-good endorphins. Physical exercise that is done mindfully will also help you shake off the "stuck" feeling and move on from the traumatic experience.

• Reach out to others

Following a traumatic incident, you can be tempted to isolate yourself from friends and social events, but face-to-face contact with others is essential for healing. The simple act of conversing with another person will release hormones that help to alleviate traumatic stress.

• Make stress management a top priority.

Although some stress is natural and even beneficial when dealing with the problems that arise in the aftermath of a disaster or traumatic event, too much stress can obstruct recovery.

Your mood can be improved or worsened by what you eat, and your ability to deal with traumatic stress can be influenced by what you eat. Processed and convenience foods, refined carbohydrates, and sugary snacks can exacerbate traumatic stress symptoms. In contrast, a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, high-quality protein, and healthy fats, especially omega-3 fatty acids, will help you cope better with the ups and downs that come with a tragic event.

• Eat and sleep well

You will build an eating plan that not only helps to alleviate stressful stress but also enhances your energy, attitude, and overall sense of well-being by replacing packaged food with real food as close to its natural state as possible.