Trauma results when we experience excessive stress that overwhelms our emotional or physical ability to cope. All of us experience a traumatic event at some point in our lives. While emotional trauma can result in the absence of any physical trauma, many times the two go hand-in-hand.
Some examples of trauma are our first visit to the dentist for a tooth extraction; first day in school; first job interview and a breakup or losing a dear one. Or to the more tragic events like a simple joyride with the boys resulting to a vehicular accident, from a harmless discovering of friendship and love, to being rape or sexually abused.
Traumatic experiences come with complex feelings, a rollercoaster of emotions and painful insecurities; for young adults it becomes a source of anxiety and depression. The experiences are life changing but for those with adequate support system and proper guidance from parents and professional counselors; you can overcome them eventually in lesser time.
Experts say that the key element to a speedy recovery is what you do when a traumatic situation occurs. To shorten the effect of a traumatic event, here is a list of things that you should avoid.
* Avoid drowning out your embarrassment, sadness, anger or guilt in alcohol and other dangerous substances. It only provides a temporary numbness, a momentary escape from what has happened. These substances can cause depression and other health problems and it is better to talk to someone you trust about what has happened and how you feel about it. Crying it out is natural.
* Avoid taking your mind off what has happened; instead learn from the mistakes that led to it and come to terms with it. The sooner you get back to your old routine, the better for you.
* Avoid making impulsive decisions; it will lead to a life-changing situation. You are not at your best when you are traumatized. The choices you take may bring some regrets later on.
Traumatic experiences leave a deep imprint on one's life. The support of family and friends' while you are going through a difficult time, is big help to shorten the time the effect of the event has. After a while, the mixed feelings you went through in a traumatic event will be in the past, you will feel renewed and will be able to leave what happened behind and move on with your life.
The emotional and psychological scars caused by trauma need to be healed right away. However, if you are still feeling overwhelmed by sadness or nervousness for a longer period, still having difficulty relating to other people, experiencing nightmares and lack of sleep and having those feelings that are too much for you to bear, you should seek professional help. There are online communities of Psychologists and Experts for Traumatic Events that you can always ask for help and support.
Some examples of trauma are our first visit to the dentist for a tooth extraction; first day in school; first job interview and a breakup or losing a dear one. Or to the more tragic events like a simple joyride with the boys resulting to a vehicular accident, from a harmless discovering of friendship and love, to being rape or sexually abused.
Traumatic experiences come with complex feelings, a rollercoaster of emotions and painful insecurities; for young adults it becomes a source of anxiety and depression. The experiences are life changing but for those with adequate support system and proper guidance from parents and professional counselors; you can overcome them eventually in lesser time.
Experts say that the key element to a speedy recovery is what you do when a traumatic situation occurs. To shorten the effect of a traumatic event, here is a list of things that you should avoid.
* Avoid drowning out your embarrassment, sadness, anger or guilt in alcohol and other dangerous substances. It only provides a temporary numbness, a momentary escape from what has happened. These substances can cause depression and other health problems and it is better to talk to someone you trust about what has happened and how you feel about it. Crying it out is natural.
* Avoid taking your mind off what has happened; instead learn from the mistakes that led to it and come to terms with it. The sooner you get back to your old routine, the better for you.
* Avoid making impulsive decisions; it will lead to a life-changing situation. You are not at your best when you are traumatized. The choices you take may bring some regrets later on.
Traumatic experiences leave a deep imprint on one's life. The support of family and friends' while you are going through a difficult time, is big help to shorten the time the effect of the event has. After a while, the mixed feelings you went through in a traumatic event will be in the past, you will feel renewed and will be able to leave what happened behind and move on with your life.
The emotional and psychological scars caused by trauma need to be healed right away. However, if you are still feeling overwhelmed by sadness or nervousness for a longer period, still having difficulty relating to other people, experiencing nightmares and lack of sleep and having those feelings that are too much for you to bear, you should seek professional help. There are online communities of Psychologists and Experts for Traumatic Events that you can always ask for help and support.
About the Author:
PS Counselling are qualified psychologists in Hawthorn, Victoria specialising in working with children who are experiencing childhood trauma, Borderline Personality Disorder, depression and anxiety. Find out more about recognizing anxiety in children
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