It’s no surprise to anyone that the political atmosphere has become rather tumultuous. Turn on any news channel, and the vibe is anything but pleasant. The news and ads are in your face.
Political trauma is a real thing and can be quite disruptive. Any time, but especially surrounding wars, it can be difficult to navigate while maintaining a calm level of mental health. Here are some points for self-evaluation.
Signs
Do you feel a constant state of overwhelm when surrounded by current events? Are you feeling anxious or even fearful of current events? With political trauma, it’s very likely that you don’t get much of a break from the trauma before the next “thing” comes into play.
Symptoms
There are multiple different avenues to be aware of when it comes to symptoms of political trauma. These include emotional, physical, and cognitive aspects.
Emotional: You may be feeling anger, rage, shock, numbness, or detachment. Depending on what side of the fence you reside on, there may be some guilt involved with certain issues. In more severe cases, there can be depression, anxiety, panic, and aggressive behavior sparked by political happenings.
Physical:This can include aches and pains with no other explanation. You may experience jitteriness, elevated heart rate, elevated blood pressure, or easily triggered startle response. Your sleep can also be affected, causing poor sleep patterns and quality. Over time, you may experience chronic fatigue from sleep disruption.
Cognitive: When overloaded with trauma experiences, you may find yourself having intrusive thoughts. It can be common to have nightmares, triggering more sleep disruption. Brain fog and difficulty concentrating are common. You may find less interest in activities that you normally find joy in. Over time, you may even notice more isolation and withdrawal from your close circle.
Treatment
Political trauma doesn’t have to dictate your life. Working through the factors that trigger you to find healthy coping/processing methods is possible.
Reduce Screen Time: While this is a world of always being on and connected to at least one screen at a time, it may be worth taking a break. The constant notifications and in-your-face news feed may be exactly what you don’t need. Put the phone down. Turn the do not disturb on. Turn off the television for a break. If your job relies on screen time, keep the focus on the work tasks and not any extra scrolling or googling.
Have A Self Care Routine: In order to recharge, you may need to focus on some self-care habits. Carve out some me time with relaxing activities. Take a bath, cook a healthy meal, work out, read a book, or go to sleep early. Try to use these activities to heal. Whatever makes you happy and soothes your soul, insert that activity here.
Socialize With Your People: Ideals are important, as are opinions, but friendship is also! This one can be slightly difficult if your friends are super political and easy to react to. Take some time and surround yourself with people who aren’t going to trigger your uneasiness. If they are of different opinions, just make sure they at least can stay objective and be your friend in these moments of need. 5 best apps to make friends instantly: meet like-minded people
Professional Help
While political trauma isn’t an official diagnosis, it can lead to true trauma, mental health issues, and medical health issues. It isn’t something to overlook. When all other areas fail, never be afraid to seek professional help.
This is serious business. Schedule a free consultation to ease your mind and get assistance managing your symptoms.
Learn more about our Trauma Therapy. Serving Boulder, Longmont, Denver.
For your other needs, you can count on April Lyons Psychotherapy Group, to help you heal and grow through EMDR therapy, somatic therapy, trauma therapy, and PTSD treatment – because we believe in your strength and potential for recovery.
