Common signs of mental trauma include being startled easily, having insomnia, suffering from nightmares, having difficulty concentrating, feeling disconnected, feeling sad and withdrawing from others. Trauma can last for a short or long period of time. Knowing how to process emotions will help you prevent it from becoming a long-term problem. Speaking to behavioral health professionals can also help. There are many possible reasons behind trauma, some of which may surprise you. Addiction, serious illnesses, injuries and chronic stress can cause mental trauma.
Addiction Distorts Your Neurological Balance
Arrowhead Lodge Recovery explains, “addiction causes physical changes in the brain and takes over the brain's reward system, which is why addiction is hard to overcome. Traumatic experiences can increase the likelihood that someone will develop an addiction and addiction itself can also cause mental trauma.” It's important to seek professional help for addiction to help yourself heal from any mental traumas that were underlying the addiction or resulted from the addiction. If you recovered from addiction, it's worth considering that you may still have healing left to do to address the lingering trauma.
Physical Trauma Can Haunt You For Years
The worst pains that you suffer may be due to injuries that, years prior, you didn't even think were that severe. All sorts of physiological injuries can cause mental trauma, including surgery, broken bones, chronic illness and traumatic brain injury. According to Martinez & Schill LLP, “a traumatic brain injury can have symptoms like nausea, fatigue, confusion, dizziness, sleeping too much or too little, and irritability, among many others. Sometimes, these are only noticeable by the people who come into regular contact with the victim.” Any time you have a serious injury, illness or traumatic brain injury, you should take extra care to look after your mental health while recovering. According to SpinalCord.com, “many times head or brain injuries can last for the rest of your life. No two head or neck injuries are the same, which means that being cautious and careful is necessary for proper recovery.” Knowing how to handle the emotions involved decreases your chances of being left with mental trauma even after the physical body has healed.
Chronic Stress Can Cause Trauma
Another surprising source behind mental trauma is chronic stress. Many people go through chronic stress without even being aware of it and how serious it is. Chronic stress is ongoing stress over a long period. When chronic stress isn't correctly treated, it can leave behind mental trauma, depression, anxiety and other problems. Examples of situations that cause people chronic stress are living in poverty, being bullied and being neglected during childhood. Counseling is recommended during periods of high stress. Also get enough sleep every night, exercise regularly, take up mindfulness and lean on loved ones for emotional support. Do at least one thing every day that helps your mind and body relax, so you get relief from the stress. These periods of relaxation can help prevent chronic stress from causing greater damage. Chopra explains, “aerobic exercise in particular is a great stress reducer, it also improves your cardiovascular system, which is a system that begins to have problems from long term stress. Yoga and meditation are also greatly recommended to deal with and handle stress.” If you have been suspecting you have mental trauma, then the odds are you do. The fastest, most effective way to heal and stop it from interfering with your life is to see a mental health professional. They have the tools and in-depth knowledge to help you recover.
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