15 Ways to Destress After a Traumatic Incident
Your mental health should always come first, and a traumatic incident may very well get in the way of this. So, for some of the best ways to destress after experiencing unforeseen circumstances, read on…
Traumatic incidents can have an untold impact on the body and mind. The medical community tends to focus on the physical ramifications of these incidents, with little or no attention paid to their effects on mental health. That said, it is these mental ramifications which often have a more profound and long-term effect.
One of the most unexpected traumatic incidents that may happen to a person may be an injury or issue resulting from medical negligence. Many people are used to putting their trust in health professionals, so when this doesn’t work out, it can be extremely devastating.
Making a claim for medical negligence can help to mitigate the damage of this. However, it is usually the long-lasting mental health issues from these incidents which can alter a person’s life more dramatically. With that in mind, this blog post will focus on the ways in which traumatic incidents, like medical negligence, can have damaging repercussions for your mental health. We’ll also discuss some of the best ways you can destress to mitigate that damage along the way…
Types of Traumatic Events
Traumatic events are defined as experiences that put a person or someone close to them at risk of serious harm or death. It could also include something that is extremely life-changing, altering the person’s life as they know it. A few examples of either type of traumatic incident might be:
- Road accidents
- Violence or prolonged abuse
- Natural disasters
- Serious illness
- Medical negligence
- Amputation
- Gaining a disability
If you’re the victim of one of these events, or you were with someone who’s been through it, you might be left with mental health problems. Using medical negligence as our pervading example throughout, we’ll take you through some of the main mental health effects of this traumatic incident…
Mental Health Symptoms Following Medical Negligence
A traumatic event, like medical negligence, is something you can never foresee. So, it’s no surprise that victims often feel shock and denial, amongst many other symptoms including sadness, anger and guilt. The list of mental health symptoms goes on, so you might also experience:
- Disbelief and shock
- Tension and irritability
- Fear and anxiety about the future
- Difficulty making decisions
- Feeling numb
- Loss of interest in normal activities
- Loss of appetite
- Nightmares and recurring thoughts about the event
- Anger
- Increased use of alcohol and drugs
- Sadness and other symptoms of depression
- Feeling powerless
- Crying
- Sleep problems
- Headaches, back pains, and stomach problems
- Trouble concentrating
These symptoms may last for just a few hours, or it can be several days until the mental health symptoms subside. Unfortunately, for some people, the symptoms never subside, and they are left with more serious mental health issues, such as PTSD and depression. This is where you need to seek the advice of your GP to see if there’s any medication or therapy you can have to get you through it.
Misdiagnosis of Mental Health Conditions
Historically, doctors have been unreliable in diagnosing these conditions. If they fail to identify your mental health symptoms and treat you for them, you have grounds for a misdiagnosis claim.
Even if the doctor does diagnose you correctly, it usually takes a long time to be referred to a mental health specialist. If an incident takes place in the interim, you have grounds for a medical negligence claim as well.
If you feel like you need help outside the medical profession, because they refuse to diagnose you or delay your appointment with a specialist, you can call a mental health helpline such as the Samaritans or other similar charities.
15 Ways to Destress After a Traumatic Incident
If you have any of these symptoms, it’s important that you try to destress to stop the trauma from getting any worse. Most people recover from a traumatic incident without any long-term symptoms and we want to help you get there. So, here’s our list of ways to destress after a traumatic incident:
- Talk to Someone You Know About the Incident
This might seem like the most obvious way to get over the event; just talk to your friends about what happened. That said, often people can close up and keep the details of the incident to themselves, hoping the thoughts will go away in time.
You’ve probably heard the old trope that a problem shared is a problem halved, and that really is the case with traumatic incidents. If you really want to destress and come to terms with what happened, share the burden. I’m sure there are people in your life willing to listen to you.
- Get on with Your Day-to-Day Life
I know this might be a controversial piece of advice, but sometimes just getting on with your life can help you destress. You obviously shouldn’t ignore what happened, but dwelling on it is also a bad idea.
IIf you get back to life as normal, this will help to keep your mind busy. Then, you can open up about the event when you need to release some pressure from the tyres. Should you need a little bit of support to keep yourself going throughout the day, you may wish to look to CBD from somewhere like Blessed CBD, which can improve your overall well-being and help you regain some form of control of your life.
- Mix Things up by Going for Walks or Visiting a New Place
Destressing after a traumatic event isn’t entirely unlike destressing in your regular life. How do people destress in their everyday lives? They go on a trip. You could find a beach to relax on, take a hike in the mountains to get some country air, or, if you really can’t get time away from your responsibilities, just go for a walk somewhere you’ve never tried before near your home or office.
- Regularly Exercise
The mental health benefits of aerobic exercise, such as cycling or running, can’t be overstated. Exercise reduces levels of the body’s stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. It also stimulates the production of endorphins, which are chemicals the brain uses to kill pain and elevate your mood.
Exercise also makes sure you’re nice and tired before bed. This way, you’re not tossing and turning and replaying the traumatic event over and over in your head. It doesn’t have to be anything intense; something like hiking or walking will do the trick. Whatever works for you!
- Get Good Sleep
On the topic of sleep, getting 8 hours a night can reduce the level of stress you feel after a traumatic event. Not getting enough sleep can cause a negative mood, low energy, difficulty concentrating, and a general inability to function normally. So, being sure to prioritise sleep is paramount to your healing process. Using a high quality THC supplement can also help. Not sure where to look? You can buy delta 8 thc online. If the THC doesn’t prove to be effective, depending on where you are in the world, you may be able to access full-strength marijuana for medical or recreational use (check the law where you are to see what your options are). For example, in Canada, people can go to somewhere like this online dispensary canada for both recreational and medical use, whereas those in South Carolina aren’t even allowed to use CBD oil. Hopefully, you will be able to find something that works for you, as getting on top of your sleep is of paramount importance.
- Breathe
When it comes to keeping negative thoughts and anxiety attacks at bay, focusing on your breathing will really help. This way, you can push all negative thoughts out of your head, and feel the sensation of air coming in and out of your nose. This act of living in the moment is a sure fire way to reduce your anxious tendencies.
- Meditate
This is similar to breathing, except you pay attention to the thoughts entering you mind. The idea is to notice the thought, acknowledge it, and move past it without thinking on the actual content of it. Again, this helps you to live in the moment a little more.
- Pray
Although this may seem like something just for those who are religious, saying a few words to the floating man in the sky might just help you out. As we’ve seen, talking it out with someone close to you may really help, so speaking to whatever God you choose may help you to feel a sense of relief. But having difficulty communicating with the man above is understandable. This is why you may consider using prayer cards to help you have more meaningful and intentional prayers. Getting these thoughts off your chest as soon as possible is paramount, and praying provides this outlet.
- Laugh
Think of something that makes you laugh. It could be a scene from a movie, or an event in your life that was particularly hilarious. Once you start to laugh, research says that it reduces your arterial inflammation and increases HDL (the “good cholesterol”), making you feel instantly happier.
- Chew gum
In a 2008 study from Swinburne University, in Melbourne, they discovered that chewing gum can have really positive effects. In fact, it can reduce the cortisol stress hormone levels in your saliva by 16 percent during mild stress, and 12 per cent during moderate stress. So, if you feel the need to destress, grab yourself a pack of Wrigley’s and chew your worries away!
- Count
This is similar to counting sheep before you go to bed; if you really focus on counting numbers, it can help you ignore the carnival of thoughts spinning around your head. If you’re really into your maths, you could even do your times tables or pull up a difficult math problem on your phone to solve. This can really help you to distract your mind.
- Unplug
There has been a lot of research into smartphones and their effects on mental health in recent years. It turns out that checking your phone every five minutes does make you more stressed, so switch it off, throw it down the toilet, and take a break.
- Craft
Apparently, repetitive motions from crafts, like knitting, can soothe anxiety. If you’re not into that you can always try cross stitching, making jewellery or anything else that involves repetitive motion.
- Scream
Bottling up your feelings causes stress. If you want to destress, let out a primal scream, a big old sigh, or sing a song to release endorphins and oxytocin.
- WOOP!
Having a positive mental attitude does help reduce stress, but only temporarily. If you want to take this to the next level, you can adopt the WOOP tactic. This involves closing your eyes, imagining your wish coming true, recognising the main obstacle in your way, and envisioning an action to remove the obstacle.
Let’s Destress for Our Mental Health
That concludes this article on how to destress after a traumatic incident. We’ve managed to cover what traumatic incidents are, with a focus on medical negligence as a potentially traumatic incident that many may go through in their lives. We’ve also discussed how to claim compensation if you have PTSD and depression but haven’t been properly diagnosed.
We also covered the main ways to destress if you have mental health issues after a traumatic event, including destress activities you can use in the moment. If you need any more advice on this topic, don’t be afraid to ask for help. The more people you confide in, the easier it will be to get through this period of ill mental health.
We hope you enjoyed this post and we’ll see you in the next one!
