While some of us may simply be overly stressed or worried about war, it can be clinically traumatic for others. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, for a thing to be considered trauma medically, one thing must involve "actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence." Experiencing multiple traumas at the same time, or repetitive traumas — as many people do now — is "complex trauma." This stratified trauma has been linked to increased emotional problems, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Complex trauma usually includes at least one type of interpersonal trauma, such as assault, rape, or neglect, usually in childhood. Secondary traumatic events may be interpersonal, such as natural disasters, serious accidents, or war exposures; Or non-interpersonal, such as intense anxiety about world events. The level of trauma varies from person to person, and the trauma is significantly greater for those who have experienced a situation directly, such as those who endured everyday life in conflict zones.
Craig Bryan, a psychologist and director of the trauma program at Ohio State University, says psychologists refer to trauma in two ways: "trauma" is a T in uppercase and "trauma" is a lowercase T.
"There's a lot of debate about what should be classified as trauma," Brian said. He served in the U.S. Military and was sent to Iraq in 2009 to do research funded by the Department of Defense and to work with military personnel on mental health. "'Trauma' with a little t is a more common usage, and people use it to refer to 'Well, it's very stressful, very frustrating.'" But for others, the pandemic has caused them enormous trauma: they rely on ventilators; They almost died, but recovered; Or there are family members who have died of COVID-19," he said. Medical workers who see a large number of patient deaths may also have this capitalized trauma, as may people dealing with events in Ukraine.
"For some people, it's a huge trauma because they either saw it with their own eyes or saw it with their own eyes. They have family members killed, or they are worried, and then there are the rest of us," he explained. "(For us), it's disturbing, it's unsettling, it's anxious, it's scary, but it's not necessarily a serious trauma."
Still, those who are still suffering the financial, emotional, and logistical toll of the pandemic may feel that the additional anxiety from war and other stressful events can feel overwhelming. For those who have experienced "trauma with a lowercase 't'", with any kind of "t" piled up on previous trauma, here's how to cope.
Regain a sense of strength through action
It feels like Ukraine and many other conflicts are hundreds or thousands of miles away, but when we see shocking and disturbing pictures on social media, they are in our minds and hearts. We can feel powerless, which leads to stress and trauma.
Ross Goodwin, a psychiatrist at Kaiser Permanente, said: "It's fair to look at the impact of traumatic experiences from a broader perspective – traumatic experiences can be anything that makes us feel uncertain and confused." Acknowledging a traumatic event layer by layer is a "useful framework" to define our current experiences and find ways to cope, he added.
"We can admit that there may be someone in our community who really has a more direct connection to what's happening across the ocean." [To) adapt to this and listen to community members who may have Eastern European families or traditions," he said. "Maybe we can (and then ask): 'What can we do to be proactive?'" What can we do to build our communities and contribute to the care of those who suffer?'" He suggests reversing confusion and powerlessness through volunteering, donations, and advocacy. If you have the ability, long after today's current events have passed, continue to listen and think about how you can serve those affected in your community. It's not a pleasant thing to do, but there are always potentially traumatic events happening all over the world.
"Regaining a sense of ownership, empowerment or self-advocacy – that's 'I can make a difference, I can contribute.'" It's a treatment... Trauma usually takes away people's sense of power or agency," Goodwin said.
Focus on what you know
If you feel like the world is completely chaotic, then your feelings make sense. But Goodwin says it's important to use what we know, and what we've learned during the pandemic, as a source of comfort in coping with multiple stressors. He wants people to recognize the fact that we now know that the coronavirus will rise and fall and make a comeback. "We have to rely on what we know and what works. He pointed to masks, vaccines, treatments and knowledge we didn't have before.
"It sounds strange, but in a way, we can say that this pandemic is easier to predict than another world leader who may not be able to predict," he said. For some, this may alleviate the feeling of dealing with two global crises at the same time and create a sense of security that lets us know how to deal with at least one issue.
Supplement your emotional abilities with "preventive maintenance."
Brian is the least likely person to use the overused word "self-care," but that's not because he doesn't believe it. Instead, he advises his current and former military customers to use another term they learned during their service: "preventive maintenance," which typically refers to maintaining guns and ensuring equipment is in working order.
"Why are we doing this?" He asked the customer. They might say, "So it works when you need it." We have to do the same for ourselves. That means exercising, eating nutritious food, spending time with loved ones, taking vacations, and participating in fun activities. Then, when we need to tap into our emotional reserves, it "reduces the likelihood of malfunction," he said.
By using these prevention tools to build your emotional capacity, Brian explains, you can strengthen your mental health in a way that makes it easier to cope with multiple major stresses or traumas. "We all have a feeling that we all have a certain amount of reserves to deal with stressful events and adversity, and if we have to use those reserves often, then when more stress happens, our reserves will be reduced," he said.
Limit fuss
Building on a pandemic that has killed more than 6 million people, coupled with what some see as the threat of World War III, it seems like the end of the world literally. But this catastrophicization, as the mental health field says, only increases the trauma and stress you perceive. Both experts point out that this way of thinking can be the result of excessive pessimism.
Goodwin says that if you use social media to get news without any intentional restrictions, you can easily be overwhelmed by multiple crises in the world.
"It's important to stay informed about what's going on because we can get empowered to be aware and knowledgeable, but at the same time, it's important to have limits," he said, suggesting that people identify sources they trust to access "daily doses of media consumption," and then stop. Similarly, Brian had to remove certain social media platforms because "it was just constant anxiety, fear, and anger." Controlling our environment in this way, he says, is crucial, and doing so also helps remind us that these major stressors or traumas aren't the only things that happen in our lives.
In particular, Brian believes that repeated exposure to stress can re-trigger symptoms of PTSD, especially for veterans who watch war reports. He said they may be more inclined to experience a great deal of stress than those who have not experienced conflict zones and are able to see events as "unfortunate" while still seeing the world as an overall safe place inhabited by good people. Psychotherapy is certainly helpful for veterans (or others who experience the same amount of stress), he said, which is very different from the DIY solution mentioned above.
Parents should also pay attention to how many disastrous things they do in front of their children, whether through media consumption or overheard conversations. Keeping an eye on the amount children can control can help mitigate any potential damage to their mental health. Goodwin said, "Children will hear everything and absorb everything, even if they don't look like it."