People who have had one traumatic experience or the other are known to struggle with very upsetting emotions, a sense of constant danger, and they fight unpleasant memories. Such people may feel disconnected, numb, and find it hard to trust others. It takes time for people to get over their pains and feel normal again after they have gone through some bad times. But with the right self-help strategies, treatments, and support, recovery can be much faster and easy. It doesn’t matter how long ago or how recent the traumatic experience that threatens your emotional health took place, the important thing is that you can actually heal and get on with your life again.
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What is Emotional Trauma?
Emotional trauma can also be called psychological trauma. It is the result of disturbing and stressful occurrences that end up shattering your sense of security, making you feel vulnerable and helpless. Any situation or experience that leaves you feeling alone, dejected, or overwhelmed can shatter your emotional health and well-being. Such events do not have to come with any physical harm before they become harmful to your emotional health.
Causes of Emotional Traumas
- Unexpected events: Any event that happens so suddenly can be quite traumatic and injurious to your emotional health, especially when such events are distasteful. Any unpleasant event that took you by surprise is bound to have very traumatic effects on you.
- Events that were beyond your control: Any events you feel too weak to control at the time of its occurrence will no doubt leave you with emotional distress.
- Repeated events: Certain sad events you couldn’t prevent from reoccurring a number of times will leave you feeling dejected and in low spirits. Events such as repeated rape or physical assaults can be very devastating to the victims.
- Other causes: Falls or injuries sustained during sporting events, the sudden death of a loved one, surgeries, car accidents, breakup in important relationships, failure in business and other related life issues can have traumatic impacts on your health and psyches.
Symptoms of Emotional Traumas
- Shock, denial and disbelief
- Anger, mood swings, and irritability
- Self-blame, guilt, and shame
- Feeling of hopeless and sad
- Anxiety and fear
- Confusion and difficulty in concentrating
- Feeling of numbness and disconnectedness
- Insomnia and nightmares
- Self-isolation and timidity
- Aches and pains
- Agitation and edginess
- Fatigue and tensed muscles
- Racing heartbeats
- Psychological tensions
When to Seek For Professional Help
Regaining emotional balance after some traumatic experience can take some time. Different people heal at different rates. However, you need to seek immediate professional attention if you have the following problems:
- If you cannot function well at home or in your place of work
- Suffer from severe anxiety, depression, and fear
- Unable to build relationships
- Experience scary nightmares or flashbacks
- Use drugs or alcohol to feel better
- Emotionally disconnected from others
- Numb and easily fatigued
Treatment of Traumas and Recovery Tips
- Learn how to control your strong emotions
- Rebuild your ability to trust people
- Process trauma-related feelings and memories
- Visit a psychiatrist
- Try as much as possible to get all unpleasant memories of past hurt and problems out of your mind.