Stress Reactions to Trauma / Death
Material provided by Monash University Community Services
It is important to remember that trauma or stress reactions are normal reactions to abnormal situations. It is difficult to predict how you or another person will respond to a traumatic event. It is important to allow yourself and others permission to have your reactions, to take care of yourself and to ask for help as best you can. Many people find it helpful to have information about what constitutes a typical reaction to trauma. Listed below are some such reactions.
Physiological and Emotional
- Heightened anxiety or fear about the death of others, anxiety about the future
- Irritability, restlessness, over-excitability
- Feelings of sadness, moodiness, more crying than usual
- Feelings of numbness or detachment
- "Survivor guilt" or feelings of self-blame that you're alive
- Mood swings: small reminders or emotional events that seem insignificant can trigger sudden changes in mood or intense reactions
Cognitive
- Difficulty concentrating
- Feeling confused, disoriented, distracted, not able to think as quickly or easily as usual
- Difficulty making decisions that normally would be easy
- Worrying about death or thinking about people who have died
Physical
- Headaches
- Nausea or upset stomach
- Exaggerated startle response (easily startled)
- Fatigue: a lot of energy goes into grief work - it can be overwhelming and physically draining
Behavioral
- Hyperactivity or less activity than usual
- Withdrawal, social isolation
- Avoidance of activities or places that bring memories of the event
- Loss of appetite
- Inability to fall asleep or stay asleep, disrupted sleep, deep sadness upon awakening
Shock and Suffering
Shock: a form of self-protection when faced with emotional overload. Shock may include:
- Disbelief
- Numbness, going through the motions
- Confusion, bewilderment
- Denial
- Isolation, withdrawal
Suffering: the emotional stage when realization of the loss sinks in. Suffering may include:
- Sadness
- Longing, missing those who have died
- Depression and sadness about other things
- Anger
- Resentment, feeling cheated, not fair, "Why me?"
- Anger at the deceased for dying (feeling abandoned)
- Anger at other, unrelated things or people
- Fear
- Worrying or obsessing about death
- Worrying or obsessing about the future
- Fear of anger and sadness (afraid of "losing control")
- Denial (attempts to avoid or contain the suffering to cope with feeling
powerless)
- "If only" things were different
- Getting philosophical (regarding life, death, God)
- Getting back to business (keeping busy)
- Behavioral signs
- Withdrawing from others
- Wanting to be with others all the time
- Sleep disturbances
- Appetite changes
- Fatigue
- Lack of motivation
- Anxiety
- Mood swings