Remember that you are not alone, and everything you are experiencing is normal. After a trauma, you may face:

• Fear and anxiety. Thinking about the trauma can make you anxious, and sometimes this anxiety comes out of nowhere.


• Re-experiencing the trauma. Unwanted thoughts, nightmares and flashbacks can spring up.


• Increased arousal. You may feel very alert, jumpy, jittery, shaky and have trouble concentrating. If this feeling persists, you may get more irritable and have trouble sleeping.


• Avoidance. You may want to avoid the place where something bad happened, just feel numb and even avoid all feelings.


• Uncontrollable feelings of anger, shame or guilt. You may get very irritable with the people trying to help. Remember: you are not to blame.


• Grief and depression. You may feel hopeless, cry often, lose interest in things and people. You may even wonder why you should go on. This is a red flag. You need to talk to a counselor, now!


• Relationship trouble. Trusting people, feeling good about yourself, and having sexual relationships may be tough following a trauma. Be kind to yourself. This is normal. Talk to people you care about, and do not use alcohol or drugs to mask these feelings.

Last reviewed March 2009