I ‘m always on survival mode
Have you recently or in the past experienced abuse, neglect, abandonment, or a life-threatening event? Do you experience flashbacks, nightmares, startled responses, headaches, panic, sweaty palms, upset stomach, anxiety, depression, irritability, anger, fear, substance use issues, or related symptoms? Do you find yourself in toxic patterns in relationships and mindsets? Your body may be living in a constant state of fight, flight, and freeze response. This occurs when your body has sensed danger and is getting ready to protect itself. What happens is that sometimes the body is in a constant state of protection, leading to chronic symptoms and a dysregulated nervous system. Fight and flight responses are equivalent to anxiety, irritability, anger, and aggression, while freeze responses look more like depressive symptoms.
Trauma sucks! Here are some examples of what trauma may look like:
Physical, sexual, emotional, verbal, psychological, spiritual, and financial abuse
Domestic violence
Near-death experiences
Childhood abandonment and neglect
Witnessing someone you love in danger
Bullying
What impact does trauma have?
Trauma can have an impact on relationships leading towards insecure attachment style to others, leading towards distrust and anxiety about being abandoned or about being attached. It can lead to heightened emotions in a variety of settings causing an individual to perhaps avoid, or use unhealthy coping mechanisms such as substance use, promiscuity, spending, and more. Trauma may also lead to physiological responses and increase stress on the body lowering your immune system, leading to IBS, and chronic pain.
