There are many things you can do to lessen unpleasant responses to trauma. Firstly, it is important that you look after yourself and give yourself space and time to work through these reactions. It is also important to remember that these reactions are to be expected and will lessen over time.

Physical Symptoms Linked With Psychological Reaction

   Sometimes after a traumatic event people report that they experience unusual physical sensations, such as feeling disconnected from their body, a racing pulse and other sensations detailed earlier. There are strategies that can help you with these:

• Try to rest more, even if you cannot sleep.
• Make time for relaxation – perhaps this is a good time to learn! Breathing exercises, meditation and yoga can be very useful.
• If possible, continue with regular exercise; exercise and relaxation will help you reduce nervous tension and feeling ‘hyped up’. If unsure about whether you should exercise because of injuries, please seek medical advice.
• Sometimes you will want to be alone, but try not to become too isolated as distressing feelings can appear greater when you are by yourself.
• Reduce your intake of stimulants such as tea, coffee, cola, chocolate and spicy, hot food as these can make you feel more uptight.
• Avoid street drugs and alcohol; numbing or suppressing feelings and unusual physical sensations may create problems in the future. You may be tempted to increase your use of tobacco, but try to resist this, as contrary to popular opinion, nicotine is actually a stimulant.
• Maintain a regular lifestyle and eat regularly and healthily even if you don’t feel like it; familiar routines may be very comforting and provide a framework for you to deal with some of the disruptions to your life.

• You don’t have to feel everything at once – you can deal with unpleasant feelings and memories one at a time.
• Feeling this bad can be very unpleasant, but try not to overreact when feelings seem ‘out of control’ or overwhelming.
• Give yourself permission to ‘feel lousy’ from time to time, after all you have been through a difficult experience; also give yourself permission to distract yourself with pleasant activities.
• Where someone has been killed in the trauma, attending funerals, memorial services and other rites can help you get in touch with your feelings about the traumatic event; recognising and naming your feelings are the first steps in working through them.
• Try not to act on unpleasant feelings and make major life decisions until you have recovered from your injuries – your judgement may be impaired.
• Feelings are strongly influenced by thoughts and beliefs; by monitoring your negative thoughts/beliefs and evaluating their usefulness to you in your recovery, you can begin to master unpleasant emotions.
• Fight against boredom, look for ways to re-motivate yourself so that you can get your life back on track.
• Learning and applying relaxation techniques may reduce tension and anxiety.

• After a traumatic event, distressing thoughts, dreams and ‘flashbacks’ are very common; don’t try to block them. They will decrease in frequency and become less painful over time.
• Continue to talk to your family, friends and others in your life about your trauma, your reactions and feelings as this will help you master your distressing symptoms. Even though you feel detached from other people, do not reject their support.
• Writing down thoughts in a diary or writing letters you may not send can almost be as good as talking about them.
• Identifying negative and self-defeating thoughts can lead to mastering them and enable you to think straighter and more rationally.
• Distraction techniques can help you gain control over unwanted recurrent thoughts that are disturbing/distressing. For example, using a thought stopping technique such as saying STOP silently to yourself whenever a troublesome intrusive thought enters your mind.

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