Anxiety is common after experiencing or simply witnessing a trauma, but it doesn’t have to control your life. Keep reading to learn coping mechanisms for how to deal with anxiety after a trauma.
Trauma occurs when you’re involved in, or witness to, a negative experience that triggers your stress response and overwhelms your psychological ability to cope. Some examples of trauma include natural disasters, war, physical and/or emotional abuse, and life-threatening accidents.
After experiencing trauma, it’s natural to cycle through a variety of emotions, such as anger, guilt, sadness, and confusion. The degree to which you feel these things depends on how closely you were involved and the nature of your experience.
Anxiety is also a common symptom following trauma because of its role in your stress response, which is referred to as your “fight, flight, or freeze” reaction.
At Better You Mental Health, we offer telepsychiatry and medication management services to patients in Maryland, Washington, DC, and Washington State. That includes addressing anxiety that follows a traumatic event.
If you’ve been through trauma and are experiencing anxiety as a result, here’s what you need to know to deal with the problem and come through it effectively.
More about the relationship between anxiety and trauma
Any form of trauma is a negative experience that can lead to distress, and it, not surprisingly, leads to negative thoughts and feelings, such as anger, fear, and sadness.
More than that, though, it can generate fear of the event recurring, leading to even more distress and resulting in anxiety over a repeat experience.
Anxiety isn’t bad in and of itself, as it’s a normal part of your body’s stress response, which creates heightened alertness and awareness to address whatever stressor you’re facing.
In a normal stress response, the anxiety subsides when the perceived threat goes away. However, trauma is a state of psychological overwhelm, and it can prevent the anxiety from subsiding.
More than just an emotional problem, it can cause lasting structural and chemical changes in the part of your brain that keeps you locked in “fight, flight, or freeze” mode – the amygdala, responsible for regulating emotional responses.
When your brain is constantly perceiving a threat, it means you constantly feel anxiety.
Research suggests that trauma prevents the amygdala from differentiating between current and past threats. This means continual reminders of past trauma may create the same level of anxiety as if the trauma were happening right in front of you again.
Coping with anxiety in the moment
The Anxiety & Depression Association of America suggests these tips to help manage your anxiety and stress in the moment and stay on a more even keel:
- Limiting alcohol and caffeine
- Prioritizing good quality sleep
- Exercising daily
- Eating a balanced diet
- Learning relaxation techniques, like structured breathing or meditation
- Practicing self-care
- Working on celebrating your accomplishments
- Engaging in altruistic work
- Building or finding a support network where you can safely talk about anxiety
- Practicing mindfulness
It also helps if you can identify what triggers your anxiety so you can avoid those things, allowing you to feel more in control of your life.
Treating anxiety after trauma
Working with a mental health professional, such as the providers at Better You Mental Health, can help you process the trauma you’ve been through. Therapy may help you recover from your traumatic experience sooner than you would on your own.
Most providers usually treat trauma within evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) frameworks. CBT focuses on restructuring unhelpful thoughts and behavior patterns while gradually providing safe, calculated exposure to the anxiety triggers.
Your provider may also recommend antidepressants, sleep aids, or anti-anxiety medications to help you manage any impairing or distressing symptoms.
If you’re experiencing anxiety following a trauma, Better You Mental Health can help you process the experience and regain control of your life. To schedule a consultation, call us at 505-718-1499 or request a consultation online today.