3. Negative changes in beliefs and feelings
The way you think about yourself and others changes because of the trauma. This symptom has many aspects, including the following:
You may not have positive or loving feelings toward other people and may stay away from relationships.
You may forget about parts of the traumatic event or not be able to talk about them.
You may think the world is completely dangerous, and no one can be trusted.
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4. Feeling keyed up (also called hyperarousal)
You may be jittery, or always alert and on the lookout for danger. You might suddenly become angry or irritable. This is known as hyperarousal. For example:
You may have a hard time sleeping.
You may have trouble concentrating.
You may be startled by a loud noise or surprise.
You might want to have your back to a wall in a restaurant or waiting room.
Now that you know what happens to your brain, here what you can do about it:
Overwrite Your Memory
Use thought substitution to overwrite the horrible image. The idea behind thought substitution (sometimes called thought displacement) is that you have the ability to control what you think and how you react. You can intentionally forget bad memories by filling your mind with more positive things. No matter how much you try to multi-task, your brain has a limited focus, and you can only keep so many thoughts in your immediate sphere of awareness. Try to replace the negative memory by exposing your brain to something brighter. Watch a happy or inspirational video, lose yourself in a story, or just look at pictures of cute animals.
Remember Feelings
It’s the new feelings that get you down, so go back in your memory banks and focus on those feelings that really made you laugh, happy, proud, etc. Those are the things you want to remember. As well as remember that you, yes you, are still here. You are still reading this, which means your life is still in front of you. So be proud in knowing that truth. You are still here for reason, now go out there and live your best life!