Managing Stress and Recovering from Trauma: Facts and Resources
for Veterans and Families
Julian Ford, Ph.D., Executive Division, White River
Junction
Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress
Have you ever:
felt so tense, discouraged, or angry that you were afraid you
just couldn't cope?
had an extremely stressful experience that you try not to
think about, but it still continues to bother you or is repeated
in nightmares?
felt constantly on guard or watchful, or been on edge or
jumpy more than you really need to be?
had a family member who seemed troubled in these ways?
If so, this information is for you.
Everyone Experiences Stress
Stress is a
normal response of the body and mind. Everyone feels stress
when gearing up to deal with major life events (such as marriage,
divorce, births, deaths, or starting or ending a job) or handling
everyday hassles like arguments, financial headaches, deadlines, or
traffic jams.
Physical signs of a stress response include:
Rapid heartbeat
Headaches
Stomach aches
Muscle tension
Emotional signs of stress can be both positive:
Excitement
Exhilaration
Joy
and upsetting:
Frustration
Nervousness
Discouragement
Anxiety
Anger
Stress Can Become a Problem
Repeated stress drains and wears down your body and mind. Stress
is like starting a car engine or pushing the accelerator pedal to
speed up. If you keep revving up the car, you'll burn out the
starter and wear out both the brakes and the engine.
Burnout occurs when repeated stress is not balanced by healthy
time outs for genuine relaxation. Stress need not be a problem if
you manage it by smoothly and calmly entering or leaving life's
fast lane.
Managing Stress
Stress Management involves responding to major life events and
everyday hassles by
relaxing as well as tensing up. Relaxation actually is a
part of the normal stress response. When faced with life's
challenges, people not only tense up to react rapidly and
forcefully, but they also become calm in order to think clearly and
act with control.
Techniques for managing stress include:
Body and mental relaxation
Positive thinking
Problem solving
Anger control
Time management
Exercise
Responsible assertiveness
Interpersonal communication
Physical benefits of managing stress include:
Better sleep, energy, strength, and mobility
Reduced tension, pain, blood pressure, heart problems, and
infectious illnesses
Emotional benefits of managing stress include:
Increased quality of life and well-being
Reduced anxiety, depression, and irritability
Can stress become unmanageable?
Trauma can cause severe stress, which may become unmanageable
despite the best efforts of good stress management. Let's look at
why this happens and what you can do about it.
Traumatic events cause severe stress reactions that are
particularly hard to manage. Trauma involves a unique kind of
physical/emotional shock that escalates the "fight-flight" stress
response (feeling angry or scared) into "super-stress" (feeling
terrified, stunned, horrified, like your life is passing before
your eyes, or so overwhelmed you blank out).
Trauma occurs when a person directly experiences
or witnesses:
Unexpected death
Severe physical injury or suffering
Close calls with death or injury
Sexual violation
If you have ever experienced or witnessed war, disaster, a
terrible accident, sexual or physical abuse or assault, kidnapping
or hostage-taking, or life-threatening illnesses, you know the
shock of trauma.
Nothing in life ever seems quite the same again, even if
everything works out for the best. Trauma leaves a lasting imprint
of terror, horror, and helplessness on the body and the mind. The
world no longer seems safe, manageable, or enjoyable. People no
longer seem trustworthy or dependable. Self-doubt and guilt eat
away at your self-esteem. Faith and spirituality are shaken or
lost.
Traumatic stress can be managed, but special steps are
necessary.
Steps in Managing Traumatic Stress
Step One
The first step is recognizing the signs of posttraumatic stress.
Trauma is so shocking that it causes memories that are impossible
to forget or sometimes impossible to recall. Trauma memories often
repeatedly come back when you are not trying to think about them.
Memories arise as unpleasant thoughts or nightmares. Sometimes you
may feel as if you cannot stop reliving the event. The shock of
trauma also may create blank spaces in your memory because it is
too much for the mind to handle, and so the mind takes a time
out.
Traumatic stress reactions are
normal responses to
abnormal events. Most people experience posttraumatic stress
reactions for days or even weeks after a trauma. Usually these
reactions become less severe over time, but they may persist and
become a problem.
Step Two
The next step is recognizing the ways of coping with traumatic
stress that are natural but
don't work, because they actually prolong and worsen the
normal posttraumatic stress reactions. The ways of coping that do
not work include:
Trying to avoid people, places, or thoughts that are
reminders
Shutting off feelings or connections to other people that are
reminders
Being hyper-vigilant or on guard
Trying to avoid bad memories, trying to shut out feelings or
people, or trying to stay always alert may seem reasonable.
However, they don't work because trauma controls your life if you
run from it.
Step Three
Step three is to get help from one of several special VA
services for veterans (and their families) who are coping with
traumatic stress reactions or PTSD (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder).
Trauma memories cannot be erased, but the stress they cause can
become very manageable.
Find out more about PTSD resources for veterans and families by
calling directly or discussing the programs with your physician or
nurse. Contact your local
Vet Center or one of the VA's
specialized PTSD treatment programs.