Recovering from a traumatic experience is a process and everyone experiences it differently and in their own time. One of the most important strategies for recovery from trauma is self-care.
- Get adequate sleep and eat healthy foods. Grieving takes a lot of energy and your body needs nourishment and rest.
- Exercise regularly; it helps with anxiety, depression, and sleeplessness.
- Don’t isolate yourself from others. Spend time with family and friends who can provide you with emotional support.
- Talk about your feelings with people who care about you and will listen without judgment. Seek help from professionals when appropriate.
- Allow yourself to cry; crying is a natural part of grief.
- Allow yourself to laugh. Don’t underestimate the power of small pleasures and diversions!
- Accept caring and practical support from others and let others know what you need.
- Avoid using drugs and alcohol to cope with emotions; they can conceal legitimate emotions and disturb the grieving process.
- Give yourself all the time you need to feel and understand the loss.
- Maintain a normal routine and take care of what needs to get done. Start with smaller tasks and move on to bigger ones in time.
- Be kind to yourself!