Did you know not all wounds are visible? Let’s discuss trauma and help break the stigma of PTSD.
Celebrate small successes
Notice patterns happening less and less
Lean on self-compassion
Forgive yourself for the past
You don’t have to be perfect
Post traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, is a set of symptoms a person might think or feel after experiencing some type of trauma.
All of us have or will experience trauma in our lives, and trauma can come in several different forms. Being physically, sexually, or emotionally abused, or even witnessing someone else being abused is a form of trauma.
Experiencing a loss, whether that be the death of a loved one, a break-up, losing a job, loss of a place to live, or simply the feeling of having lost a certain way of life that one might have hoped for. In addition, ongoing human issues including the pandemic, inequity, political uncertainty and racism.
Violence can cause trauma, be it violence toward yourself or witnessing violent acts toward others. There are “natural” traumatic events, too, including floods, tornadoes, or the recent snow- storm and loss of power and water that many of us experienced.
No matter what traumatic event occurs, there’s a good possibility that it will affect a person in some way. This could look like feeling anxious, scared, sad, or “dreading” daily activities that you might not have before the trauma.
Other symptoms can include having nightmares, inability to sleep, feeling hopeless to change the situation, mistrusting others, feeling guilty, thinking about the trauma over and over, and having flashbacks of the traumatic event.
