Grief & Trauma
If you are grieving, in shock or feeling traumatised and would like some further support, you can talk to a member of our trained staff in confidence on 07736467319 or online at contact@well4u.co.uk
Grief
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The death of someone close to you can be emotionally devastating. You might find you experience a range of physical and emotional symptoms as you come to terms with your loss.
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Below is an overview of grief and to the right are some further resources you may find useful
Trauma
When terrible things happen, like a sudden death of a friend, it can have a huge lasting impact on how we feel, even if we are not directly involved. Some common reactions are to feel angry, fearful, anxious or stressed. Others might feel extremely sad or hopeless. If you have existing mental health problems, events like these could trigger them or make them harder to deal with. There is no one way to react to trauma, and no matter how you are feeling the important thing to remember is this is ok. These are normal reactions to terrible circumstances. That doesn’t mean they are not hard to cope with and getting your well-being back on track can take many weeks.
Below is a summary of some of the possible different responses to trauma...
Acute Stress Response
Symptoms can usually develop quickly over a matter of minutes or hours after of during a stressful event. They usually settle fairly quickly but can sometimes last for several days or up to 6 weeks. Symptoms of acute stress reactions may include the following:
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Psychological symptoms such as anxiety, low mood, irritability, emotional ups and downs, poor sleep, poor concentration, wanting to be alone.
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Recurrent dreams or flashbacks, which can be intrusive and unpleasant.
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Avoidance of anything that will trigger memories. This may mean avoiding people, conversations, or other situations, as they cause distress and anxiety.
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Reckless or aggressive behaviour that may be self-destructive.
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Feeling emotionally numb and detached from others.
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Physical symptoms such as:
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A 'thumping heart' (palpitations).
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A feeling of sickness (nausea).
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Chest pain.
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Headaches.
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Abdominal pains.
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Breathing difficulties.
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Post-traumatic Stress
PTS is a common response to experiencing a traumatic or stressful event. Common occurrences, like car accidents, can trigger PTS as well as events like aggressive confrontation or witnessing traumatic scenes. A person who experiences acute stress symptoms (as listed above) which persist for longer than 6 weeks after a stressful event can be described as having post-traumatic stress.