Trauma recovery may feel hopeless but trust us: you can experience relief.
Trauma is an emotional response to a distressing event. It might be either a one-time event—such as a natural disaster or robbery—or it might unfold over a period of time like childhood neglect or an abusive relationship. When you’ve experienced trauma, symptoms could bubble up such as hopelessness, anxiety or fear, guilt, mood swings, avoidance, or insomnia. It’s normal to feel the distressing effects of trauma for about 4-6 weeks after the event. But if you still can’t seem to escape the symptoms, you may be left with unresolved trauma or even post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
But there’s no need to fear. You can start practicing healthy coping habits today. In this article, we’re giving you four healthy self-care practices to orient your mind and body towards healing.
Best Practices for Healing from Trauma
Be mindful.
Start being mindful of how you’re treating yourself before anxiety or another presenting symptom occurs, and you’ll be prepared to speak to yourself the healthier way. Take stock today of how you speak about yourself and to yourself. Do you scold yourself for how you react to a difficult situation, or do you forgive yourself and learn from it? When faced with an exciting new opportunity, do you feel unworthy and reject it or do you build yourself up to rise to the challenge? If you struggle with low self-esteem, negative self-talk might be holding you back from healing. Here’s what you can do.
Instead of saying: I hate that I’m feeling this way.
Say: I am feeling ______, and that’s okay.
Instead of saying: What’s the point of trying? Life will always be like this.
Say: It’s not fair to say life will always be like this. If I keep trying things can eventually get better.
Regulate your nervous system.
The moment a threat is identified—real or imagined—our brain triggers a fight or flight response and releases adrenaline to carry out a defense. With unresolved trauma, this stress response is triggered when remembering the event or traumatic circumstances, being in an environment related to the trauma, or being around a person who inflicted your trauma. Here’s how you can de-stress your nervous system.
Relieve your senses. A person with trauma may be hyper-vigilant of their surroundings or easily startled. Sensory input you perceive to be threatening may overwhelm, provoke anxiety, or disturb your sense of security. But you don’t need to be on high alert. Stabilize your senses with these 6 tips when you’re feeling overstimulated by your environment. You can feel safe again.
Breathe with a soft belly. Psychiatrist James S. Gordon, M.D. recommends soft-belly breathing to relieve a triggered fight or flight response. Breathing slowly in through the nose and out through the mouth while keeping a relaxed belly exchanges air at the bottom of your stomach where there’s better airflow. This technique stimulates the front part of the cerebral cortex, the part of the brain you use for decision-making, compassion, and self-awareness. When we’re traumatized, we often feel helpless and hopeless. But completing this easy exercise creates a small change with noticeable results that will help you realize you’re neither helpless nor hopeless. Try it out now with this guided meditation by Dr. Gordon.
Be healthy.
A healthy body fosters a healthy mind and increases your ability to cope with symptoms of trauma.
Move. Get your blood flowing! Working out helps relieve stress and anxiety and as a bonus, builds momentum for other positive choices. Need more convincing? It’s free! Stroll around the neighborhood, try a workout app, take the dog for a hike, dance to your favorite songs at home, or bike with the kids to the park. If you struggle like so many of us to get motivated to move, research unique ways to work out in your city like bouldering, parkour, pole dancing, or even sword fighting.
Hydrate. It’s simple, but not always easy: drink enough water and avoid alcohol and drugs. Heavy drinking can induce panic, rebound anxiety, and worsen symptoms of anxiety and depression. On the other hand, your brain is made of 73% water, so hydration makes for healthy brain function. Go have a glass right now!
Eat. Your diet directly affects your mood. People with depressive symptoms often eat too much or too little and reach for comfort foods that don’t comfort for long. Eat regular, well-balanced meals throughout the day and add omega-3-rich foods into your diet. Salmon, chia seeds, walnuts, and dark leafy greens can spark a mood boost.
Sleep. Recalling traumatic events, hyperarousal, and alertness often incite insomnia. Trauma and nightmares that may follow can also prevent you from having deep, restorative sleep. But the good news is treating sleep issues early on can help reduce the risk of developing PTSD. Here are some tips for sleeping after trauma:
- Maintain a regular sleep schedule.
- Do a soft belly breathing exercise before bed.
- Sleep in a context you feel safe in. This includes the room you’re in, who you share a bed with, and the items that are nearby.
- If you can’t fall asleep after 20 minutes, try a relaxing activity like reading, prayer or meditation, taking a hot bath, or listening to music.
- Avoid blue light caused by electronic screens.
Your body deserves care just as much as your mind does.
Get help.
Being mindful, regulating your nerves, and taking care of your body are integral parts but not magical cure-alls for trauma. Self-care is a crucial part of your healing journey and is something you can do to start the process today, but don’t isolate yourself on your journey. The next step? Alongside self-care, professional counseling from therapists experienced in treating trauma can transform your life through treatments suited for your unique needs.
You can get better. We can help. Contact us today at Austin Anxiety & Trauma Specialists and we’ll match you with one of our trauma specialists who can help you find the healing you deserve.
