The Effects of Traumatic Stress

 STRESS & TRAUMA CAN KILL 

Trauma and stress affects people in different ways, at different times which shows how struggles are promised but nothing is permanent - there are numerous mental health and cognitive conditions, disorders and diseases that are a direct result of traumatic stress. Trauma, anxiety and stress can affect your emotions, feelings and behavioral patterns; they also affect a person's mentality, mood and attitude. The gut, body and brain are all interconnected, which is why at times the body can't decipher between them when under severe stress or experiencing trauma. 

There are various ways that traumatic stress can affect you... For example, loss of concentration or desire, fatigue, poor eating habits, anxiety and insomnia. These are some common effects that derive from traumatic stress, research says that at least 85% of adults experience traumatic stress or have experienced it at least once in their life - over 6 million people suffer from traumatic stress, anxiety or trauma. The effects of trauma can happen immediately or the effects can linger and begin later in a person's life... After a traumatic situation or repeated trauma, people respond, behave and think differently, this makes people have mixed emotions and hormone imbalances. 

Trauma sensitizes the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, this causes the central areas of the body to alert the stress response system; depending on the person their response can be slow or immediate, aggressive or mellow. Often, traumatic stress causes more physical and emotional pain making it harder to cope and grieve, this can lead to unhealthy habits or social choices such as increased drinking, smoking or excessive eating. These responses only numb the brain momentarily, the actual trauma lingers for years when untreated or unresolved. Learn the signs, know how to find the red flags, become more aware of others, your surroundings and energies - it's important that we understand the significance of traumatic stress. 

As we age, we tend to ignore our health which can result in poor decision making and critical thinking skills. We must learn that taking care of our health, brains and bodies is not expensive or time-consuming; there are ways to seek help or therapeutic guidance for your traumas. There is no shame in bettering yourself, strengthening your mind and cleansing your energy. Trauma and cognitive behavioral therapy have been considered to be the best forms of direct treatment for all types of people - there are ways to start working on yourself without a helping professional such as developing a strong exercise regimen, incorporate healthy eating habits, create a new musical playlist, erase old messages, pictures and files off your devices, throw away old clothes, etc. 

“Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.”

 – Nelson Mandela