How To Cope With a Crisis or Trauma

How To Cope With a Crisis or Trauma Stress Management Situational Stress Print Tips on How to Cope With a Crisis or Trauma By Elizabeth Scott, MS twitter Elizabeth Scott, MS, is a wellness coach specializing in stress management and quality of life, and the author of 8 Keys to Stress Management. Learn about our editorial policy Elizabeth Scott, MS Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Carly Snyder, MD on November 10, 2019 facebook twitter linkedin Carly Snyder, MD is a reproductive and perinatal psychiatrist who combines traditional psychiatry with integrative medicine-based treatments.   Learn about our Medical Review Board Carly Snyder, MD on November 10, 2019 Kathrin Ziegler / Getty Images More in Stress Management Situational Stress Effects on Health Management Techniques Job Stress Household Stress Relationship Stress All change brings stress as a by-product. Sometimes, however, events in our lives are traumatic enough to constitute a crisis, and stress levels are nearly unmanageable. Such crises include being diagnosed with a serious health condition, dealing with the aftermath of a natural disaster, or being personally affected by a human tragedy, although events of lesser severity can also constitute a crisis. Healthy Ways to Cope With a Crisis What are some healthy ways to cope with a crisis and get through to the other side? Here are some guidelines to keep in mind when coping with a crisis. Focus on What’s Important When dealing with the aftermath of a crisis, it’s important to focus your resources. Just getting through the day is an accomplishment, so paring down your responsibilities in order to just do that should be key. Order take-out so you can cut down on shopping and cooking, put unnecessary commitments on hold, and just focus on what really needs to be done, so you can conserve your physical and emotional energy. Find Support If others know about your trauma, chances are they will be offering to help; now is the time to take them up on it. Let your loved ones  lighten your load by helping with tasks or providing a supportive ear. You can repay the favor later when you’re up to it and they need something. You can feel better from receiving support, and others will probably feel better by being able to do something to help. That’s what friends do best. Lessen Your Stress Response When you experience a crisis (or even when someone close to you experiences a crisis), your bodys stress response may become triggered and stay triggered, keeping you in a state of constant stress. It may be difficult to feel relaxed in the midst or aftermath of a crisis, but you can practice stress relief techniques that can reduce the intensity of your stress levels, help you reverse your stress response, and feel more resilient in the face of what comes next. Process Your Feelings Whether you write in your journal, talk to a good friend, or consult a therapist, it’s important to put words to your experience in order to better integrate it. As you move through the crisis, you may be tempted to ignore your feelings for fear that you’ll ‘wallow’ too much and get ‘stuck’, but processing your feelings allows you to move through them and let them go. Take Care of Yourself In order to avoid adding to your problems, be sure to eat a healthy diet, get enough sleep, exercise regularly, and do other things to keep your body functioning at its best. Also, try to do some things you normally enjoy, like seeing a movie, reading a good book, or gardening in order to relieve some of the stress that you’re going through. Be Patient With Yourself Sometimes people who are dealing with a crisis or trauma wonder if their negative reactions are a sign of weakness, or if they’re handling things the ‘right’ way. While there are more and less healthy ways to handle troubling situations, be patient with your feelings and reactions to things. It’s natural to feel ‘not yourself’ after a majorâ€"or even minorâ€"trauma, and accepting yourself and your reactions will help you feel better and process things more easily. Seek Help When Needed If you experience intrusive thoughts and feelings, have recurrent nightmares, or are unable to move through your life the way you need to because of your reaction to the trauma, even after several weeks, you may want to talk to a professional about your situation to be sure you’re getting the support you need. Even if you have no major problems but just feel that it might be a good idea to talk to someone, it’s better to err on the side of having extra help. It’s a smart and responsible way to take care of yourself.