Traumatic times

In the last few days there have been several references and comparisons made to being at war, and how this government has to respond as a war time government would. Until I read this thread (contains swearing) on twitter  link to thread I hadn’t made the connection to our own personal response to the situation. I have experienced trauma based mental health problems for a number of years, and as part of my recovery and healing I have done a lot of research into this area.

I can now see trauma in people’s behaviour, actions and reactions. I can see it in my own reactions. It is pretty common knowledge how many soldiers experience trauma during war, so it’s not a big stretch to see how we as untrained and unprepared civilians are going to be experiencing traumatic reactions to our attempts at fighting the pandemic caused by corona virus (Covid-19).

People who are panic buying are reacting to their bodily response to trauma inflicted upon it. It goes back to our caveman instincts of hunting and gathering for survival. It’s not that people are being selfish or not thinking of others, it’s just that they are not thinking at all. There are people who are carrying on as normal which is another traumatic response, one of denying the trauma even exists. These are not thought through reactions but automatic responses to traumatic events.

You may be experiencing some really weird stuff going on in your bodies right now, but that’s because our bodies are set up for protecting us from danger. Right now, as the news gets worse and the impact is being felt our brains have effectively rung the fire alarm. When this happens, our logical thinking brain shuts down and all the brains power is focused on fighting the fire or the trauma. This part of our brain doesn’t think, it reacts. It is designed for our survival and means we can quickly reacting to a situation without thinking slowing us down. It is completely natural for this to be an exhausting time for you, as your brains are working overtime trying to process the information and protect you from threats and trauma. Not only that, there are physical symptoms of trauma that our bodies display. Our whole body is under stress and it may struggle to cope.

It is very difficult to convince our automatic response to the situation to switch off and that everything is OK, when there are clear signs it’s not. When you can’t convince your brain you’re not experiencing trauma, you can at least remind it that it’s not all traumatic. There are things we can do, to at least dampen the effects of the trauma on us and those around us.

Keeping your thinking brain active with something simple, proactive and positive stops it thinking negatively and quietens the fire alarm. Planning activities to do, playing board games, planning food, writing, drawing and similar activities are good distractions for your brain to focus on and to keep it feeling calmer. If you are finding that something specific is worrying you, then trying to find a positive solution to that worry can keep your mind thinking rather than reacting with panic. For example if you are worried about the food situation, going shopping in your kitchen and thinking of what meals you can make with what you have in stock may just surprise you. It also means you can be more focused if you do need to go shopping on what you are missing to make a meal. If you are wanting to carry on as you normally would, which might seem like a good idea, it is important to gently nudge your brain into reality. Your brain is protecting you from being completely overwhelmed with what is really happening which is really great. . If you are struggling to cope with the situation and feeling helpless, the positive response is exactly the same. Balance your consumption of the news with other news. Restrict yourself to a short exposure. If your brain needs nudging into or out of reality then filtering that reality makes it easier to process.

You can also use a technique known as grounding. It is a process of re attaching your body to reality, which in this situation means the good bits, the stuff that isn’t traumatic and scary.

Thankfully this is a pretty easy process. You don’t have to look far to find something positive. Look to the people around you, perhaps out to nature and how spring is still happening regardless. Grounding encourages us to focus on engaging our senses. I have always found that I associate certain songs with happy memories, or the taste of something makes me feel better. If you struggle with this it may be worth gathering some things together to create a grounding kit that can help you when things get overwhelming. Preparing a music playlist, some tv or films to watch, things to eat, smell or touch also provides your thinking brain with a task to focus on that is both positive and distracting.

As we face an uncertain future away from familiar routines and freedom we need to be gentle on ourselves and the people around us as we try to navigate it. Acknowledging that this is traumatic for everyone is an important step to take. There is a wealth of information on the internet about trauma and our reactions to traumatic experiences if you want to look into it further (again, a task for our thinking brains).

Remember though, that our  thinking brains are going to be impaired at the moment. However, it is even more important that our brains are provided with stimulus to keep them active, even if it is difficult. Reducing our expectations, rather than not having any at all may seem tough, but it will allow our brains to switch off or at least reduce the noise of the fire alarm and panic, even for a little bit.

Recognising the situation is traumatic reduces the expectations on everyone to function normally. It allows for everyone to be scared, and to be able to talk about it. It also provides an opportunity to try and reduce the longer term impact of this experience on us. We can start to do this by connecting with other people. The ideal connection would be physical, but connecting with each other online is still essential for our long term mental health. Search out like minded people, spend time every day chatting to someone, either on the phone or the internet. Getting to know people during this difficult time can make a positive difference to you and the person your connecting and reaching out to.

We can provide each other with an anchor in this stormy sea whilst we ride out the storm. Knowing that we are not going through this alone will strengthen our ability to cope with the storm The storm will end, and we will heal together, by continuing to anchor each other against the trauma and its effects on us.