Traumatic Stress Management: the Importance of Reducing Stress

Some people go through very rough times in their lives. It is difficult to get through these times, but when they do some are left traumatized by what has happened to them. Although it may seem like they may never overcome it they can and will. There are ways to help someone cope with what has happened and help decrease its negative effects. A few ways involve reducing stress, managing pessimistic thoughts, and living a healthy lifestyle.

To deal with traumatic situations one must first reduce their stress. It can be strenuous when trying to reduce stress since most things tend to cause stress. One way to lower stress is to "schedule time for activities that bring you joy" (Smith et al.). When a person is doing an activity, they enjoy it usually takes their mind of what is going wrong in their lives and brings a smile to their once saddened face. One other way is to get plenty of rest. Lack of sleep "makes it more difficult to maintain your emotional balance" (Smith et al.). Stress is difficult no matter what, but with no sleep, it worsens. Reducing stress helps one manage their traumatic stress, but what also comes with negative thoughts.

Negative thoughts can make a individuals trauma worse. These thoughts could bring a person down and make them doubt themselves which will make their trauma worse. To deal with these thoughts one needs to first "recognize thought distortions" (The Seleni Institute). An individuals mind can trick themselves into thinking things that are untrue. When one has these thoughts, one need to "challenge negative thoughts" (The Seleni Institute). Trauma is usually surrounded by negative thoughts because many tend to blame themselves for what happened.

When they finally start to fight these thoughts, they find themselves not being held back and it allows them to move forward with their lives. Once you have focused on the mental part the next step is to focus on the physical part.

Most would not think their lifestyle has nothing to do with their traumatic stress. One way to have a healthy lifestyle is to "eat a healthy diet" (Smith et al.) Some who have gone through these events tend to eat copious amounts of junk food. It is well-known that fast food slows someone down and after they eat it they tend to feel depressed. Another to manage traumatic stress is to get up and exercise. When "exercising can burn off adrenaline and release feel-good endorphins to boost your mood". When these endorphins are released it makes one feel better over time. Exercising can also help you not feel as tired and help to boost your motivation level to do better.

Traumatic events do not rule someone's life unless that person lets it. Some already know how to manage and fight traumatic stress. Many however do not panic and feel helpless. When all they need to do to manage this is reduce their stress, manage negative thoughts, and live a healthy lifestyle.

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