TIMES OF CRISIS CAN FEEL OVERWHELMING...
The word “crisis” is derived from a word that translates as “sieve.” You might feel this way when there is an unexpected turning point in your life–wherein change is somehow forced to happen in some way. You might just feel like your whole world is falling into pieces.
Painful & scary, right? And you might ask yourself things like:
- How do I make sense of what is happening?
- What comes next?
- Will I ever be able again to do _____(fill in the blank) again?
- Who will I “be” this time next year?
- When will things feel “normal”?
- Where can I get help?
Trauma is anything that induces your fight-or-flight response.
This can be something like a life-threatening event–but a trauma response can also be induced with a chronic stress. Over time, the hormones and neural pathways in the body begin to feel like they need to be in a stress-response mode all of the time. This is your body’s way of trying to “protect” you. Our rational steps in and tries to make sense of everything, and confusion in the disparity of reason, sensation and more arise.
Some things to consider right now:
Ask yourself, are you safe? If you are safe, right in this moment, take a breath.
If you are unsafe, ask yourself what you need to do to become safe and make your plan.
If you cannot get safe or are uncertain how to proceed and feel in imminent danger, call Emergency 911.
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April Wells, COO is certified as a Suicide Prevention Professional through SAMHSA: the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the United States Department of Health & Human Services.
