How to Cope with PTSD after a Personal Injury
A traumatic personal injury can leave us feeling shaken and lost. In fact, you may even be finding it hard to navigate your day-to-day. What you should know regardless of what you’ve experienced, however, is that there’s always hope. You can absolutely heal both physically and mentally as you improve your quality of life moving forward. How? Let’s dive into a few ways you can cope with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after a personal injury.
Seek out legal counsel to assist you in your personal injury case.
Dealing with an injury caused by another person’s negligence is hard enough on its own. However, when you’re faced with unemployment because you’re unable to work, mental health issues because of the trauma you’ve experienced, and other problems, seeking out the support of an attorney to get the compensation you deserve to navigate your injury is the best first step to take. The good news is that you can easily find a quality law firm by conducting a quick Google search for attorneys in your area (such as looking up personal injury lawyers in New Orleans). Once you’ve found the right personal injury lawyer for your needs, it’s just a matter of letting your personal injury attorney work on your case and seek out justice on your behalf.
Look for a psychologist who can help you work through your trauma.
Traumatic experiences have the potential to develop into mental illness if the trauma is impactful enough. For example, if you’ve experienced a car accident that has resulted in serious injury, you may develop an anxiety disorder, panic disorder, depression, or even PTSD (as highlighted above due to the severity of your situation). To combat these symptoms, you can turn to a therapist or psychologist for support.
These professionals will employ strategies like cognitive behavioral therapy or exposure therapy as well as medication to help you stabilize your mood and feelings, learn what coping mechanisms you can use to navigate life, and improve your state of mind moving forward. Whether you need therapists for anxiety as you worry excessively about your health and medical bills or a therapist for PTSD because you continue to relive the event, help is out there waiting for you. All you have to do is reach out to mental health professional to begin your healing journey!
Try to return to a sense of normalcy to get out of your head.
It can be hard to feel like yourself if you’re isolating yourself from your friends and family members and avoiding work or other activities. Although it’s equally as difficult to dive right back into life after you’ve experienced trauma, taking the time to communicate with others and enjoy some of the activities that you enjoyed prior to your accident can make you feel happier and lighter. No matter what it is that helps you relax or brings you joy, try incorporating more of those activities into your daily life. Healing physically and mentally can be a long journey, but taking it step-by-step will make the path towards the life you wish to return to that much easier.
Personal injuries can range from mild to severe, but almost all of them have an impact on our mental health and well-being. For some, they may only temporarily feel down as a result of their situation. For others, the trauma can lead to PTSD and make it hard to fully recover. If you fall into the latter category, use the guide above to find all the resources and tips you need to begin to heal. With time and positivity, you can recover from this, too!
