Practical Ways To Protect Your Mental Health After A Traumatic Event
Traumatic events can stay in the mind for years after they happen. They can open up little wounds in there that are hard to heal, and the longer a person goes without facing them, the more these wounds hurt and bleed.
That’s why you need to be practical about your mental health after something traumatic happens. Don’t let the feeling sit with you and retraumatize you over and over again; in order to feel well, your brain needs a bit of care and attention, just like your body does!
Stick to a Routine
A routine is something you can depend on. After your world has been rocked by something traumatic happening, sticking to your routine and limiting deviation from it can help you feel on the straight and narrow again.
While we highly recommend seeing a therapist or doctor as soon as possible, doing the things you usually do will make making these decisions easier. And even if the routine needs to change a little to be truly right for you, you’ll still have a routine to follow.
Look into Compensation
If the trauma you’ve sustained was someone else’s fault, it’s worth it to look into your right to compensation. Whether it’s a result of medical malpractice after a hospital stay or you’ve been injured while out and about, get in touch with a lawyer who specializes in these cases.
Even if you think you have no right to compensation, getting in touch with BD&J Injury Lawyers after an accident or personal injury is worth your time. After all, if you’re not an expert in the law, you won’t know if you have a case until someone makes it clear what you’re entitled to!
Taking practical action like this not only proves that you’re not the one in the wrong, but that there’s always something to be done to take the power back. This can help to lessen any sense of guilt or helplessness you may be living with right now, which will definitely protect your mental health going forward!
Don’t Lock Yourself Away
Being around other people when you’re dealing with the aftermath of a traumatic event is the best thing for your mental health. You might be tempted to lock yourself away and spend time alone to try and rest, recuperate, and get your head round things, but you could end up doing the opposite.
Getting out there, meeting friends, calling family members, and simply being outside where strangers can pass and say ‘hello’ is very good for you at a time like this. Not only do these social interactions act as distractions, but they can bring some perspective into your life and make things feel normal and stable again.
A traumatic event can turn your world upside down. Turn it back the right way with a bit of practical action; they speak louder than words, and that’s what your mental health needs right now. Take your time and do what you need.
Your article hit a few emotions that I had! The biggest emotional stance that I went through – I was shutting myself off from the world! My two brothers died in February 2021. My brother, Tom and I were not even a year apart! As a matter of fact, his birthday was July 12th. The same day this article was published! It happened so fast! He collapsed on the floor from pain on a Sunday. He was admitted into hospital and by that Friday, February 5th, he was dead! My sister-in-law held the phone up to his ear, before he died and I yelled ‘I love you, Tom!’ She said his eyes fluttered like he was trying to open them. He never woke up from the coma that he was in when the paramedics brought him into the hospital! Cindy said that he was in back pain for about a month before he passed out that Sunday! He went to work and carried on like usual before he went into the hospital. They found out right before he died that he had a very rare disease named Mantle Cell Lymphoma. His daughter just found out that she was pregnant. He wanted to be a grandpa so much! Now he has 2 grandsons he wil never know! Cindy called the family. One of those calls were to our youngest brother, Tony. Cindy said he took it hard! He said he would call her back the next day. Well that was the last time anyone talked to him. We had to call the police after a couple of days for a well check. He didn’t call back and we couldn’t get a hold of him. We lived in IL and Tony lived in TN. He lived in a condo and the woman next door called the association. She said that there was an horrible smell coming from his condo. The association called the police, but they weren’t going to let the police break down the door. A locksmith was called and the police came back when the door was opened. My poor brother, Tony was on his bed decomposing by this time. He was pronounced dead on February 10th! His death certificate said he died on the tenth, but that wasn’t true! The coroner explained to me that Tony wasn’t considered dead until he pronounced him dead. The family already knew that something was terribly wrong. So we had him cremated and brought back to IL. We had a double memorial ceremony. It was still the time of the pandemic The weather was really bad in IL. Most of us had to watch it on YouTube. I was already in shock and deeply grieving!! I was praying and finally snapping it of the gloom some what. Then by November, my husband had his yearly bloodwork done, because he had Hepatitis C. To make a long painful story short: my dear, wonderful, loving husband died on May 5th, 2022. The family was totally devastated. I was there when he died and I was destroyed!! I screamed when he died and started to fall down the lonely, gloomy rabbit hole! My husband of over 40 years, my best friend was gone. It felt like I was all alone! The light went out and the smiles were gone! I sold our home of 26 years and moved to Florida. I had to get away and be by myself! I’m sorry I wrote a book, but I wanted you to know how devastated I was by the 3 men who I had in my world that were suddenly gone! I am so grateful that God is in my life! I was contemplating suicide. I could not do that to my family. Cindy and I have become exceptionally close now, because of the losses of our husbands. She still has her crying time- like I do. It helps to talk to someone too. There isn’t any time limit on grief! I got really sick from not caring about myself. The Bible tells me that I am not alone! That Jesus died for us! That there is still a devil that would love to make me sin against God! The devil is here to wreak havoc and divide the family unit!! He is doing this to everyone! He brought death into our lives!! I can’t wait until God comes and destroys the devil and death once and for all
Thank you for sharing this