Life skills and trauma stressors

Life skills and trauma stressors

Health care professionals can be astonished when trauma survivors come to them after recovery only to find, upon reassessment, that symptoms have recurred.

Trauma is a serious attack on a person's vital functions.

What happens to get in the way of a regular daily activity like paying bills or solving problems to suddenly make everything seem like a monumental accomplishment?

Could it be that negative emotions or physical symptoms were triggered a day or two before or after a holiday gathering and a survivor recalls a traumatic moment that appears without warning?

Trauma happens to people who have experienced a psychologically stressful and life-threatening event. A person who is a survivor of an accident, injury, illness, physical, verbal, emotional or sexual abuse, or other crime; a person who is a war veteran, an army officer or a refugee from a war-torn or violent country; it can happen to a search and rescue personnel; Survivor of a natural disaster or a bystander to a traumatic episode.

A survivor may relive moments of terror, guilt, regret, anger, or disillusionment with life.

Reliving a traumatic event can awaken emotions that cause fatigue, lack of energy, crying, or lack of concentration or impatience with others. Tantrums happen for no reason. The memory of trauma comes through flashbacks and nightmares, and they can become so severe that it is difficult to live a normal life.

Unnoticed by a trauma survivor, the belief that healing has occurred and recovery is over wreaks havoc on the mind. Thoughts, feelings and emotions are stirred up. Without warning, symptoms return to cause grief. The ability to complete simple home or work tasks becomes daunting.

During a traumatic flashback, joint pain or the inability to sleep throughout the night may occur. Excitement and self-exploration like "Who am I" and "Will I ever feel normal? Or "Am I going crazy?"

Disharmony grows in relationships and clouds of doom become a veil over the survivor.

The Canadian Mental Health Association reports that these types of effects can develop into acute anxiety or, more commonly, “post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).”

PTSD is one of several disorders known as anxiety disorders. It affects about 1 in 10 people, characterized by reliving a psychologically traumatic situation long after the associated physical danger has passed.

Taking care to know and understand disturbing emotions that may arise after flashbacks are important life skills tools.

Self-knowledge and self-care are an arsenal for trauma-episodic memory.

Life can suddenly become devastating because images, conversations, smells or sounds begin to remind us of something happening today that relates to a traumatic event that happened back then.

Psychology Today reports that PTSD affects approximately 7.7 million American adults. It is often accompanied by depression, substance abuse, gambling, eating and anxiety disorders.

When other conditions are appropriately diagnosed and treated, the likelihood of successful treatment increases.

Mayo Clinic oncologist Edward T. Cregan MD explains that coping with traumatic stress is an ongoing process. He explains that if we learn about the effects of trauma, we will be more helpful to our loved one (ourselves).

Life skills can help people draw from a wide range of problem-solving behaviors to overcome challenges at work, at home, or in society. The extent to which a person with trauma incorporates survival behaviors into their life following their trauma is itself a measure of success and deserves much support.

In trauma recovery, people learn as they heal that it is important to accept feelings of denial, stay active, seek support, face the reality of triggers, and ground yourself after a flashback.

Trauma survivors need to take time to process the feelings associated with the experience and know how to find peace to be alone or find someone in family or friends to share the experience. They need to know that sharing the experience is accepted without judgment.

The key is to recognize that trauma can occur at different times of the year.

Dr. Cregan describes the best way to approach trauma by finding ways to normalize it - remembering not to become overwhelmed or frightened by symptoms and difficulties (as opposed to catastrophic thoughts such as: "It's happening again, I'm back to normal" and emphasizing coping strategies such as staying active, taking care of yourself, seeking social support).

Family members and friends worry deeply but hold beliefs that healing should occur quickly. This can hinder a trauma survivor's healing. Advocating “Life is too short” and “Stop focusing on the past – get over it” prolongs healing time.

Healing takes time and is different for everyone.

In particular, primary care physicians agree that a survivor's essential life skills include understanding and expressing emotions, managing anger related to trauma, and protecting thought processes so as not to undermine the ability to cope with everyday life.

Awareness is essential.

Emotional wounds take time to heal, or some cases may never heal.

It can take years for emotions from a traumatic event to surface, and when they do, it's a rude awakening. A realization emerges to re-examine the memory and the pain associated with it. What can happen is a retrieval of more memories that reinforce the original trauma. Once this happens, it deserves processing time for the survivor to work through it and prepare to come out stronger on the other end.

Trauma can cause ongoing self-esteem issues. It concerns the management of simple life skills. Overcoming trauma is easier for some than others. Some inspire others who are just entering the dark phase of a life-changing journey.

The effects of trauma on the entire person and the spectrum of therapeutic issues must be clarified. Recovery happens when the person is willing to overcome the pain.

Symptoms return in pieces, like a flashback in a movie trailer – they may subside.

Dr. Creagan believes we can help a loved one with post-traumatic stress by being willing to listen but not push. Choose a time when you are both ready to talk.

The recovery process from trauma can take months, years, even decades. For some, PTSD never leaves.

Trauma attacks a person's ability to manage simple life skills. In general, this is needed to understand the world around us or to know the tools to live a fulfilling life. Everyday tasks, going to school or work, building relationships or the personal feeling of belonging or connection become visibly stressful.

Trauma symptoms hinder one's ambition to live one's full potential.

There are many treatments for PTSD to meet the unique needs of the survivor.

Everyone is different, so treatment from someone with PTSD experience may work for one person and may not work for another.

Life coaching is available to provide supportive listening - without attempts at repair, but to release some of the strong feelings such as shame, anger or guilt. A life coach can offer strategies to develop a plan to move beyond PTSD and work toward achieving life goals based on a new method of human functioning.

A life skills approach to trauma is about finding a new personal balance. Breaking through another wall of understanding and self-discovery during trauma recovery is about learning to live with a new agenda of coping strategies. It's worth taking time to find out what works best while healing from the effects of trauma.

Giving up is not an option, but finding self-love and understanding or finding the help you need brings additional success to the particularly courageous life of a survivor living with the burdens of past trauma.

Inspired by Catherine DeAngelis