5 Ways to Prevent Trauma from Turning into PTSD
What is trauma?
Mental Health America describes trauma as emotional and psychological response response to a distressing event or situation that disrupts your sense of safety, which can leave you feeling overwhelmed and isolated. While it’s common for most people to deal with fear and anxiety during and immediately after a traumatic event, everyone’s emotional response is unique. While some people will naturally recover with time, others may continue to experience trauma and stress-related symptoms long after the traumatic event but there here are some ways to mitigate those effects from turning into Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD.
How can I prevent trauma from turning into PTSD?
First, it is really important to note that experiencing a traumatic event doesn’t mean you will develop PTSD. Everyone’s response to trauma is different. Research on resiliency and recovery following trauma has identified the following five protective factors that can lower your risk to develop PTSD:
1 of 5 Social support
Social support is one of the primary influences in determining an organic recovery from trauma. Those with less social support are more likely to develop PTSD. Social support does not mean you need a large support network, being consistently surrounded by people family and friends. Thought that can be helpful, it is rather about the quality of the connection and whether you feel understood, heard and validated.
2 of 5 Relaxation practices to lower stress
Practice relaxation strategies to increase your ability to cope with negative feelings. You can try a number of different methods like muscle relaxation exercises, breathing exercises, meditation, stretching, prayer, going for a walk, or spending time in nature. Anything that helps you connect with your body and that involves rhythm such as breath work, yoga, dancing, Pilates etc. can be healing. This is because during trauma the connection between the mind and the body is ruptured so we are truing to heal that connection trough these coping skills.
3 of 5 Grounding exercises
This is particularly important especially if you’re experiencing flashbacks and feeling disconnected. Grounding techniques help distance your mind from distressing thoughts or emotions and refocus on what is happening in the present moment. A common one is the 5-4-3-2-1 method – use your senses to notice your surroundings and name five things you see, four things you hear, three things you can touch, two things you smell, and one thing you taste.
4 of 5 Avoiding toxic coping strategies
Quick and negative fixes that may make a situation worse in the long run aren’t the way to go and will cause more harm. This includes things like substance abuse, sleeping your time away, and isolating yourself. Though they may feel like the most appealing options right now, they’ll likely cause more harm than good. Try engaging in something called “opposite to emotion” which we use in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). If what you feel like doing is being is sinking into the couch and sleeping the day away thought you know that will lead to making you feel worse about yourself- try DOING the opposite of what you feel, you feel like sleeping, then go for a 25 minute walk. You feel like watching TV, then read for 15 minutes. Don’t wait for the motivation to do these things to do them but rather take action and the motivation will come after. Not right away, but it will come, and you will feel much better about yourself after you do them.
5 of 5 Consider therapy
Even if only for the short-term. Processing your experience and emotions with a professional can help you develop healthy thought patterns and behaviors as you move forward. The sooner you face your traumatic stress, the easier it is to overcome. In addition, you’ll learn different coping strategies and thinking patterns you may not have thought on your own. The therapeutic relationship is one that will help you heal and hopefully one where you’ll find validation and empathy without judgement.
