How to Cope With a Traumatic Event
Take a few deep breaths., Try mindfulness strategies., Take a break., Do something active.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Take a few deep breaths.
This will help you cope right now by slowing your heart rate and calming you down.
Deep breathing helps you think more clearly and also relieves muscle tension you may be feeling.Slowly take a deep breath in through your nose.
Feel the breath down in your belly.
Hold it for a moment and then exhale slowly through your mouth.
Repeat this a few times, or until you feel calmer and like you are coping with the trauma a bit better.
Body relaxation and stillness is an important component to this! You cannot adequately control your breath if you are pacing, clenching, or fidgeting.
Try to stand still, sit down, or even lie down if you can. -
Step 2: Try mindfulness strategies.
Traumatic events tend to play like a movie over and over again in the mind.
This is called a flashback.
When you catch yourself re-living the horror, bring yourself back to the present moment by using mindfulness strategies.
Mindfulness helps you take care of yourself and cope by focusing you on the current moment.Notice what is happening right now.
Assess what emotions you are feeling, what you are thinking, and how your body feels without trying to stop any of it.
Use grounding exercises, such as identifying five colors around you, finding something around you you've never noticed, closing your eyes and identifying what you hear, etc.
Notice as the feelings and thoughts go away and as you feel better.
Continue what you were doing before the flashback.
Practice mindfulness all the time so that you can become better at handling flashbacks if/when they occur. , A change of environment and physical distance from the traumatic event can help you cope by relieving some of the stress and tension you feel.
This may mean just a few minutes to take a walk, spending the night with a close friend, or it might mean taking a weekend vacation.
Take a mental break if the event just happened or if you cannot leave the area.
Close your eyes for a few moments and imagine yourself somewhere peaceful.
Practice going to your "safe place" often so that your brain gets used to it and can teleport you there quickly.
If it just happened, you may want to just sleep, but find that you have insomnia.
Don’t do anything to make yourself go to sleep.
Staying awake can actually reduce the effects of PTSD.As soon as you can after the event, go to a safe place, with someone you trust.
Depending on how deeply the event is affecting you, you may need to take a day or two off to cope with what happened.
Don’t let your break turn into avoidance, however., When you experience trauma, your body releases adrenaline which gives you energy and keeps you alert, but also tense.
Physical activity can help release built up energy, tension and stress associated with a traumatic event.With trauma, the goal is to do this often, focusing more on frequency than length of the activity.
Make sure you are getting physical activity on a consistent (daily, if possible) basis.
Try taking a walk, stretching, swimming, boxing, or even dancing.
Try to keep your mind focused on the activity. -
Step 3: Take a break.
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Step 4: Do something active.
Detailed Guide
This will help you cope right now by slowing your heart rate and calming you down.
Deep breathing helps you think more clearly and also relieves muscle tension you may be feeling.Slowly take a deep breath in through your nose.
Feel the breath down in your belly.
Hold it for a moment and then exhale slowly through your mouth.
Repeat this a few times, or until you feel calmer and like you are coping with the trauma a bit better.
Body relaxation and stillness is an important component to this! You cannot adequately control your breath if you are pacing, clenching, or fidgeting.
Try to stand still, sit down, or even lie down if you can.
Traumatic events tend to play like a movie over and over again in the mind.
This is called a flashback.
When you catch yourself re-living the horror, bring yourself back to the present moment by using mindfulness strategies.
Mindfulness helps you take care of yourself and cope by focusing you on the current moment.Notice what is happening right now.
Assess what emotions you are feeling, what you are thinking, and how your body feels without trying to stop any of it.
Use grounding exercises, such as identifying five colors around you, finding something around you you've never noticed, closing your eyes and identifying what you hear, etc.
Notice as the feelings and thoughts go away and as you feel better.
Continue what you were doing before the flashback.
Practice mindfulness all the time so that you can become better at handling flashbacks if/when they occur. , A change of environment and physical distance from the traumatic event can help you cope by relieving some of the stress and tension you feel.
This may mean just a few minutes to take a walk, spending the night with a close friend, or it might mean taking a weekend vacation.
Take a mental break if the event just happened or if you cannot leave the area.
Close your eyes for a few moments and imagine yourself somewhere peaceful.
Practice going to your "safe place" often so that your brain gets used to it and can teleport you there quickly.
If it just happened, you may want to just sleep, but find that you have insomnia.
Don’t do anything to make yourself go to sleep.
Staying awake can actually reduce the effects of PTSD.As soon as you can after the event, go to a safe place, with someone you trust.
Depending on how deeply the event is affecting you, you may need to take a day or two off to cope with what happened.
Don’t let your break turn into avoidance, however., When you experience trauma, your body releases adrenaline which gives you energy and keeps you alert, but also tense.
Physical activity can help release built up energy, tension and stress associated with a traumatic event.With trauma, the goal is to do this often, focusing more on frequency than length of the activity.
Make sure you are getting physical activity on a consistent (daily, if possible) basis.
Try taking a walk, stretching, swimming, boxing, or even dancing.
Try to keep your mind focused on the activity.
About the Author
Nancy Gomez
Enthusiastic about teaching hobbies techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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