Transcript Taking Care of Yourself in the Aftermath of Trauma: Maintaining your Balance By Bryce Hagedorn Adapted by Philip J.

Taking Care of Yourself in the
Aftermath of Trauma:
Maintaining your Balance
By Bryce Hagedorn
Adapted by Philip J. Lazarus
What is “Stress Management”
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Knowledge of the body’s reaction
This includes the mental, physical,
emotional, and spiritual factors associated
with stress
Utilization of several coping mechanisms
Regular practice of relaxation techniques
Periodic evaluation of the effectiveness of
coping skills and relaxation techniques
Rapid Relaxing
Deep Breathing
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Breathe from the stomach rather than
from the lungs
Breathe in slowly through the nose and
out through the mouth
Breathe in to the count of 5, hold your
breath for a cont of five, and then
breath out slowly for another count of 5
Progressive Muscle
Relaxation
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Tension Awareness
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Where do you feel tense or
stiff?
Tense Muscles to the Count
of Five then Relax to the
Count of Five
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Repeat as needed
Wear comfortable clothing
Remove distractions
Try different muscle groups
Practice, practice, practice!
What is Balance?
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Assigning meaning to your stress management
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Creating a balanced life in these areas:
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Spirituality
Work
Leisure
Love relationships
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Exercise/Nutrition
Friendships
Involves the creative use of time management, the
blending of activities, and the attribution of meaning
Why are we not good at Balance?
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The “crisis management”
mentality
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Lack of attention to our needs
Crisis occurs which focuses
attention
Lack of encouragement from
“above”
Desperate times call for
desperate measures
Let’s do an assessment…
Letting Go…
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Hierarchy of needs
People choose to let
go based on:
 Priorities
 Past experiences
 Perceptions
Of these needs, which
one are you most likely
to “let go” of under
times of distress?
Letting Go of Leisure
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The first to go (time after work/school)
“All work and no fun…”
Results
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Feeling deprived
No time to regenerate
Not at your “prime”
Letting Go of Nutrition
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“I’m too busy to eat”
Eating on the fly
The physiological demands of stress
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“I need energy, FAST!”
“I need carbs, STAT!”
Results:
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Weight gain/loss, high cholesterol, poor nutrients
Physical/emotional “crash”
Letting Go of Exercise
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“I don’t have the time”
“I don’t have the energy”
Some people count stress as exercise
Results:
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Cardiovascular disease
Obesity
Unhealthy weight loss
Low energy / fatigue
Letting Go of Relationships
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“But I don’t have time to take out the garbage.”
Initial tolerance of family and friends
Healthy relationships take consistent effort
Always risk of rejection and misunderstanding
Results:
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Loose contact with a close friend
Are people avoiding you?
Loose a love relationship
Divorce / Separation
Loneliness
Letting Go of Spirituality
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“I don’t have time”
“What’s the point?”
Results
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Ethical/moral dilemma
Life comes to lack true “meaning”
“How did this happen?”
Spiritual Distress
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Loneliness
Emptiness
Hopelessness
Despair
Difficulty loving self or others
Lack of meaning
Loss of direction or purpose
Eating to De-stress
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Eat breakfast daily
Limit sweets
Eat crunchy foods for comfort
Eat six mini-meals daily (every 2-3 hours)
Drink at least 8-10 cups of water/day
Avoid smoking and alcohol, limit caffeine
Eat more colorful fruits and vegetables
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Plan, PLAN,
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PLAN
Exercise as a Stress Management
Modality
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Detoxification of stress related compounds
Regular exercise actually increases energy
Moving meditation
Enhanced feelings of self-esteem and selfefficacy
Periodic solitude and introspection
Opportunities for social support
Endorphin theories
Fitter to fight stress and disease
Improving Relationships
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Communication
Being open
Take a risk on a new
relationship
Reestablish contact
with an old friend
Making time
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Schedule
Prioritize
Get out of the house!
Meeting the Spiritual Need
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Use your car for quiet reflection
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Listen to spiritual tapes
Meet with others
Make gatherings a priority
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What can you learn about yourself?
How am I now wiser?
Find other times
Set aside 10 minutes
Take a long-term perspective
Is there meaning in tragedy?
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Perhaps even a silver lining
Be Creative
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Combine elements to meet multiple needs:
Plan a regular evening walk (Exercise)
with your significant other (Relationships)
and discuss your individual, couple, and
family needs and goals.
Once in Balance, STAY in Balance
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Commitment – a deep involvement and
commitment to an ideal greater than
oneself
Control – reactions to events
Challenge – facing change as an
opportunity for growth and excitement
Coherence – all things will work out as
well as can be reasonably expected
Choices – engaging in consistent health
behaviors all the time
Staying Balanced
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Easier to repair than to rebuild
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Count your blessings
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Improve current relationships
Reconnect with old friends
Do something nice for someone each day
Try to give at least 3 compliments each day
Write down one blessing each morning even if things
seem hopeless—it always could be worse!
Cut your losses and move along—especially
when your hope is gone
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Can’t change the past
Trust Yourself
You will feel better in the future
 We tend to over-estimate the duration of an emotion
when predicting how long we will feel about some event
 Unexpected traumatic experiences (e.g., loss of a child,
paralysis, being sent to a concentration camp) often
have less of a long-term impact on wellbeing than
people expect
Be kind to yourself
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Give yourself time to cope
No “right” way to cope or feel, everyone copes differently
There will be an answer, let it be!