Traumatic events expose our vulnerability. They can happen on a large scale, transforming a community, a state, or a nation. Tragedies like wars and natural disasters affect people throughout the world. Trauma can also happen on a smaller scale—a mugging, a car accident, an assault. What these events have in common is that—in addition to physical injuries—they create extreme psychological stress. Even people who observed the event, without experiencing it first-hand, can show signs of distress.

Common Reactions to Traumatic Events

The organization Mental Health America highlights that people differ in how they react to a traumatic event. For example, you may feel more fearful and anxious than your neighbor who’s gone through the same experience.

While reactions vary from person to person, there are some typical symptoms that many go through:

• Emotions—You may feel disbelief about the event, afraid, nervous, anxious about the future, depressed, angry, guilty, and/or ashamed.
• Behaviors—You may have difficulty sleeping and have nightmares, not be hungry or eat more than usual, cry easily, argue and get into fights, drink more alcohol, use drugs, smoke more, not want to do your daily routine, and/or have a hard time working.
• Thoughts—You may have a hard time making decisions and concentrating, have reoccurring thoughts about the event (anything can trigger these thoughts, such as something you see, smell, or hear).
• Physical symptoms—You may have headaches, backaches, stomach aches, cold or flu symptoms, rashes, nausea, dizziness, and/or fatigue.

These reactions typically fade over time. It may take several weeks or months before you feel like your life is normal again.

Ways to Help Yourself Recover

But how do you get to the point where you are feeling better? In addition to dealing with the trauma, you may be facing extreme life changes, like being separated from loved ones, losing your home and job, or having bills pile up. Any one of these is an overwhelming challenge. But there are positive steps that you can take to care for your physical and mental health.

Signs That You Need Help

While it is important to take an active role in your healing process, it is equally important to recognize when you need professional help.

These are some signs that you need help right away:

• Emotions—You may:
  • Have intense feelings that won’t go away and disrupt your day-to-day life; feel depressed, guilty, worthless, hopeless, anxious, jumpy; feel afraid for your safety and afraid to do things that you used to do (like leave the house or be in crowded places)
• Behavior—You may:
  • Have difficulty sleeping and have nightmares, avoid anything that reminds you of the event, not enjoy activities the way that you once did, drink more alcohol, use drugs, have difficulty at work, act recklessly, be abusive, stop doing your daily routine, stop taking care of your basic needs (like showering)
• Thoughts—You may:
  • Feel disoriented or have memory loss, have hallucinations, continuously think about the event, have thoughts of hurting yourself or others
  • If you have suicidal or homicidal thoughts, get help right away.

In some cases, experiencing a traumatic event can cause post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a type of anxiety disorder. If you have PTSD, you keep reliving the event in your mind; you might have frequent nightmares, flashbacks, or hallucinations. You might go to great lengths to avoid any reminders of the event. A sudden movement or noise may startle you, and you may have an extremely hard time concentrating.

If you think you have PTSD or are having a difficult time coping, call a therapist. Even if you feel embarrassed or unsure about calling, remember that this is something you need to do for your mental health. The symptoms of trauma can make you feel like you have no control over your life and erode relationships with family, friends, and coworkers. But by working with a therapist, you can learn strategies to help deal with anxiety, stress, and anger.