Is it Trauma or Stress? - How to Understand your Experiences

With the word 'trauma' fast becoming a buzzword it can be challenging and confusing to determine if you are impacted by trauma or stress, or possibly both. Whilst it is positive that awareness of trauma is increasing, I also believe that the overuse and misuse of the word can have a devastating impact. It can contribute to those that are most vulnerable and in need of support, minimising and misunderstanding their experiences, at times this can prove fatal.

Trauma is much more than manageable distress or experiencing the impact of something mildly unsettling and uncomfortable that happened to you during the day. As a trauma therapist, providing accessible psycho-education is an integral and important part of my work. In this post I aim to give a brief overview of trauma and stress, highlighting the differences between them to support you to further explore and determine what you experience.

Trauma

• Trauma rewires the brain. Your brain will operate and function in a completely different way when you experience trauma.

• Trauma can trigger a variety of mental health issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), dissociative identity disorder (DID), an array of anxiety disorders and severe depression.

• Trauma can feel intolerable and will often seriously impact a person's quality of life.

• Trauma is a long lasting emotional response to a highly distressing event or ongoing incidents that have overwhelmed a person's ability to cope.

• People who experience trauma often require quality long-term support to address their needs.

• There are different types of trauma.

Stress

• Stress is a part of the human experience that we all encounter.

• Stress is a natural response to pressure or a perceived threat.

• Prolonged stress can cause physical issues, increased levels of anxiety and low mood.

• Stress doesn't always require intervention or ongoing external support.

• There are varying levels of stress that occur in response to stressors.

Image and content created by Aisha Bettridge @bettridgetherapy.

It is to be noted that there is a similarity between trauma and stress in that there is no single way or specific approach to treat it. There are multiple approaches and often a personalised multifaceted process which focuses on both the mind and the body proves helpful. As the diagram shows, stress is present within trauma, however trauma is not always present in everyday stresses. Feeling an increase of stress or anxiety after an event does not necessarily mean that you have been traumatised by it. People living with trauma live with a constant level of elevated stress. This is due to the replaying and re-experiencing of the traumatic event that occurs when the brain is not able to distinguish the past from the present.

Questions to Consider

• Do you experience vivid flashbacks, nightmares and intrusive thoughts?

• Do you experience constant anxiety, always feeling on guard for danger?

• Do you struggle with overwhelming feelings of shame and guilt?

• Do you go out of your way to avoid feelings or memories?

• Do your experiences get in the way of your everyday life?

Whilst trauma and stress are both worthy of attention it is important to ensure that you have the appropriate support for your situation. Your answer to the questions above may not be definitive, however they are designed to get you starting to think clearly about your experiences and the level of intervention you might require.

Addressing the Issue

Prolonged stress and trauma can have long lasting negative impacts on mental, emotional and physical health. Trauma that is left unaddressed can progress to increasingly challenging mental health issues. In the absence of healthy ways to cope, trauma survivors can find themselves attempting to address the trauma in ways that in the long term will only exacerbate symptoms. If you recognise that you experience trauma or if you are regularly overwhelmed by high levels of stress it's always a good idea to reach out for support.

• For support at this moment contact the Shout text service or Samaritans helpline.

• To seek advice about treatment contact your General Practitioner (GP).

• To start receiving ongoing personalised support from a qualified Psychotherapist you are welcome to book a free introductory call with me or search for a therapist on online directories such as the Counselling Directory or Psychology Today .
  

Disclaimer: Information and opinions in this blog do not constitute as therapy or personalised professional advice.

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