A traumatic event can occur at any point, and it is something people have to deal with because of how challenging and confronting it can be. Those who are hoping to remain away from this stress for as long as possible will need to look at the warning signs that come up.
When you can identify the signs, you will know what the issue is and how it might be plaguing you as a patient.
Here are the seven signs you need to be aware of when it comes to identifying post traumatic stress.
1) Avoiding Communication Of Event Or Anything Related
The first sign would be the inability to communicate as desired. Let’s say a party is coming up and you are going to attend, but then when you reach there, you are unwilling to speak to anyone because you are lost wit what is running in your mind.
You might be associating something at the event with what has taken place in your past.
This is a trigger many people talk about, and it can be hard to control or anticipate. This is why it tends to have a significant impact on a person’s mind and on their ability to function socially.
2) Constant Flashbacks
When it comes to identifying post traumatic stress, the one symptom a lot of people talk about is flashbacks. They are unable to feel good about how things are unfolding because they are caught up in their memories. The event continues to flash in their minds and comes back vividly.
They remember the details and feel the feelings like they were there, and that can be very distressing more than anything else.
If they close their eyes for a second, the flashbacks come, and that is where they get scared.
3) Self-Destructive Behavior
Are you causing a lot of damage around you because of how your behavior is? This is something you will notice as well. You want to make sure it is your behavior that remains in sync as needed. You always want to feel in charge with what you are doing, but when you are irrational and excessive, you are going to know there is something not right.
A lot of people start showing these signs as this is their way of lashing out and just letting some of that stress go in an uncontrolled manner.
This is behavior that is distressing, out of context and out of proportion to everyday normal reactions.
4) Adverse Fluctuations In Mood
How is your mood when it comes to day-to-day routines that are taking place? You want to make sure you are not having negative mood swings that are causing distress for you or for others and will not let you relax the way you want to. This is a common impact from going through a traumatic event.
You can start to have irrational thoughts, and that is where your mood starts to deteriorate as well.
You are not able to communicate with others the way you want to, and this can end up being out of your control at times.
5) Difficulty Sleeping
Is it hard to sleep at night? You have to understand how your sleep schedule was before and if it is an issue getting to sleep now. This can be a sign of your mind not being able to rest the way it wants to. This can lead to uncomfortable situations where you are not able to lie down and go to sleep the way you want to.
For those who are dealing with stress of this nature, sleeping can be the first issue that they notice has changed in them as a person. It becomes hard to go to bed and sleep as needed.
6) Difficulty Concentrating On Tasks
Are you not able to concentrate as you might have in the past? Is it hard to perform the normal tasks that come up from time to time? You will want to have a quick solution to the issue, but that is not going to happen when it comes to stress.
You have to focus on concentrating as much as you can, but when this is an issue, you won’t be able to and that is going to bother you a lot. The worse this becomes the more unworkable it can be to keep functioning as you are.
7) Easily Frightened
You will also see this sign when it comes to stress.You will get easily frightened in situations that would not have been scary in the past. This might be your self-defence mechanism being on hyper-alert after the issue you have gone through in the recent past.
This can start to startle you after a while and is not something you want.
As long as you are looking at these signs when it comes to identifying post traumatic stress, you will be in a better position to recognise and cope with them, knowing that it is a normal reaction to something that is traumatic but not normal if it persists for too long.