Traumatic events can have a devastating impact on our health. In the beginning, it’s normal to feel like you can’t cope. Thankfully, there is light at the end of the tunnel. To start you off on the healing process it’s important to have plenty of coping strategies in place. These tools and tips will give you some great starting points.
Trauma & stress coping tips
1 . It’s best not to isolate yourself
After experiencing a traumatic event, you may feel yourself shying away from interaction, wanting to be alone. Even if you feel this way it’s best not to isolate yourself. Spend time with your loved ones, and try to keep doing the activities that you enjoy.
You’re bound to be going through lots of different emotions during this time. If you feel able, talk to your loved ones about what you are going through. It may be difficult to talk however, bottling up your feelings could make you feel worse.
- Work with a mental health expert
When you’ve gone through a traumatic time you’ll likely need some mental health support. Working with a therapist will help you to talk about your experience, and work towards healing. Your therapist can also help you to establish effective coping strategies. It’s a good idea to talk to your therapist about delivering you a trauma-based CBT program. Cognitive-behavioral therapy involves attempting to adjust thinking patterns and behavior, to improve mental health.
- Self-care strategies
In the wake of a trauma, it’s important to have lots of effective self-care strategies in place. There are lots of useful self-care methods for relaxation including meditation, yoga, aromatherapy, or massages. Finding ways to relax will help you to support your physical and mental health during this difficult time.
- Find a support group
When you’ve been through trauma it can be helpful to connect with others who have gone through a similar thing. See if you can find a support group in your local area. If you’re struggling to find one you might like to take a look at online support groups. Joining a community can help you to feel less alone, and to find strength.
- Get the basics right
When you’re feeling bad mentally it’s important to get the basics right. Ensure that you get plenty of sleep, eat healthy foods, and get lots of exercise. Bad habits will only make you feel worse, whether it’s a poor diet or an excess of alcohol. When you’re looking to support your mental health, it’s the little things that make all the difference. To improve your diet try focusing on foods that boost the mood, or foods that support the immune system. Learning how to eat better will help you to improve your physical health and your mental health.
Trauma & stress coping resources
1 . PTSD Coach App
If you’re experiencing PTSD it’s worth checking out the PTSD Coach app. The app offers education about post-traumatic stress, a self-assessment, and info about professional help. This app has plenty of different tools and features, supporting you to manage your PTSD. There are lots of different tools available from anger management tools to positive self-talk. By adjusting the resources you can create a personalized program that suits you.
2 . Sanvello
Sanvello is a therapy-based app, designed to improve your mental health. Here you’ll find plenty of coping techniques, therapy tools, and meditations. With the help of Sanvello, you can track your mood, set goals, and customize your journey. The application helps you to monitor your emotions, and identify different patterns. All of the Sanvello techniques are based on cognitive behavioral therapy. Using tools like these you can take a proactive approach in your own recovery.
- For All Seasons
For certain traumatic experiences, there is specialist help available. For All Seasons provides support for survivors of sexual assault. The service is run by qualified Sexual Assault Survivor Advocates. Individuals can access many different types of support from their advocates, as well as ongoing therapy.
For All Seasons offers various services, including psychiatry, therapy, case management, couples counselling, and more. These therapists can cater their therapy support to trauma specifically. To learn more about For All Seasons services click here.
- 4. Meditopia
In the aftermath of a traumatic event, it’s essential to have stress coping tactics. Meditation is a fantastic way to deal with stress, and Meditopia is one of the best apps out there. The Meditopia app offers a huge range of meditation content, these sessions will help you to calm the nervous system, and sleep better. There are meditations on various different themes, depending on how you are feeling that day. If you’re looking to improve your mental resilience and heal, meditopia is a fantastic app. A few other benefits of mediation include:
- Mediation can help you to focus on the present.
- Helpful to ease negative emotions
- Can be useful to gain new perspectives.
- ACT iCoach
The ACT iCoach app is a tool that delivers an Acceptance Commitment Therapy program. The tool includes plenty of video lessons, animations, and content. ACT iCoach provides a space where you can track your emotions and moods, and write in a journal. With the help of analytics, you can understand your behavior, and identify different patterns. With hundreds of different exercises to choose from, you’re bound to find an activity that works for you.
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy is about embracing your feelings and thoughts, instead of feeling guilty for them. This type of therapy is based on practicing both self-acceptance and mindfulness skills. The idea is to commit to face all of your problems directly. It can be challenging to get used to the ACT processes, but in time you will start to adjust.
Coping with trauma
Coping with a traumatic event can be incredibly difficult. The healing process can take some time. You may gradually start to feel better, then have days where you are feeling more triggered than others. The important thing is to be patient with yourself. Allow yourself time to experience your emotions, and practice different stress-coping tactics.
