A traumatic experience doesn’t simply “go away” once you get through it.

In fact, the impact of trauma can last for many years and manifests itself in many different ways.

Unfortunately, the effects of a traumatic experience are often difficult to handle. Plus, some of the common symptoms associated with trauma can be damaging to your health and well-being if not properly treated.

In essence, trauma can impact your everyday life.

The effects aren’t necessarily things that just come and go. Instead, they can weigh heavily on you over long periods of time.

How exactly can trauma impact your daily life? And, more importantly, how can you manage its effects?

Disrupts Your Sleep Habits

Many people who have been through a traumatic event have trouble sleeping. Maybe you just can’t fall asleep at night because your mind is racing with thoughts of the traumatic experience. And if you do fall asleep, you may wake up frequently due to nightmares.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) regularly affects people while they’re sleeping. This can make getting a good night’s rest nearly impossible.

Unfortunately, not getting enough sleep makes the rest of your life even more difficult. A consistent lack of sleep is harmful to your overall physical and mental health.

Damages Relationships

Depending on what the source of your trauma was, it can have a serious impact on your relationships. For example, if your traumatic experience came at the hands of another person, you might have a hard time trusting people.

Even if your experience was situational, it’s easy to feel isolated. This is usually due to feelings of guilt, shame, or even embarrassment.

Someone who is struggling with the impact of trauma needs strong relationships and a healthy support system. So, isolating yourself from people or not allowing yourself to open up can make matters worse.

Causes Additional Physical and Mental Health Issues

If the effects of trauma aren’t properly dealt with, you’re putting yourself at risk for other mental health problems. For instance, people with PTSD frequently struggle with additional mental health conditions.

Some of these include:

  • Anxiety disorders
  • Depression
  • Eating disorders

If you develop additional mental health issues, treatment and management of your trauma can be an even greater struggle. In order to cope, some people turn to destructive coping habits, such as substance abuse, and end up battling addiction.

Physical problems are also common for people struggling with trauma. Daily aches and pains happen frequently. This is often due to an increase in stress, which promotes inflammation throughout the body.

People with PTSD also often have to contend with conditions like diabetes, obesity, and respiratory problems. Obviously, these physical conditions can create even bigger problems for your overall health and add to daily struggles.

Changing the Impact of Trauma On Your Everyday Life

As you can see, the lasting effects of trauma can have a very damaging impact on your day-to-day life. If not properly managed, many of these effects can be long-lasting and even get worse over time.

Thankfully, there are two things you should know:

  1. You’re not alone!
  2. And help is out there!

If you’ve been through a traumatic event, don’t feel as though you have to deal with it alone. There are plenty of things you can do to lessen the negative effects of trauma. A support system of family and friends, for example, is a great start. However, professional counseling often makes an even bigger difference.

Feel free to contact me if you’re struggling with the impact of trauma on your everyday life.

Together, we’ll work on practical solutions that will help you get through each day. And as we work on those exercises together, you can take control of your life once again and find freedom from the chains of a traumatic experience.