Is Your Anxiety Linked to Trauma? How to Tell
A traumatic experience, even in childhood, can have lasting results. Whether you experienced consistent trauma at a young age or went through a one-time event that hasn’t left you, past trauma doesn’t always stay in the past.
So what does that have to do with anxiety?
There are many factors that play into anxiety. That’s why it’s one of the most common mental health conditions across the globe. But, you may not always equate past trauma with the anxiety you’re dealing with now.
How are they related? How can you tell if your past trauma is linked to the anxiety you’re currently dealing with?
The Connection With Coping
Any type of trauma requires some kind of coping response. If you had to deal with childhood trauma, you may not have had the capacity to cope in a healthy way. Many younger people who go through traumatic events try to disconnect from their own experiences.
That can lead to repression at a young age.
But eventually, the coping mechanisms don’t work as well. Internalization becomes a major issue, and you might find yourself dealing with physical problems like internal distress, stomach issues, headaches, fatigue, or even actual illnesses.
Your mind and body might start preparing themselves for more trauma, or you might be worried about what’s happening and how you’re feeling.
As you might expect, those thoughts can quickly turn into anxiety at any age.
The History of Trauma Coming to the Present
Whether you’ve experienced trauma as an adult or not, anxiety tends to persist. You might have a sense of helplessness in most things you do. You’ll carry your anxiety with you into situations that you’re worried about, or anything that might seem stressful.
Why? It’s often a reflection of the helplessness you experienced during your time of trauma. You may have thought there was nothing you could do then to change the situation. That fear can linger for years.
Unfortunately, that fear and helplessness can become a roadblock in your everyday life. It can also cause you to be less motivated when it comes to seeking out treatment.
What Can You Do?
There are both short and long-term goals when it comes to treating anxiety linked to past trauma. The short-term goals include understanding some of the patterns you regularly experience, calming your mind and body, and finding support that fits your individual needs.
The most important long-term goal is releasing you from the restraints of your anxiety. Eventually, you will learn more effective coping mechanisms and feel in control of your thoughts again. That can completely redirect your life and help you to live the way you want to.
One of the best ways to treat anxiety caused by trauma is to talk to a therapist. Therapy will bring awareness to the anxiety itself, and you’ll dive into the underlying cause(s). You will have a guided experience in learning how to change the patterns and behaviors that fuel (or came from) your anxiety and replace them with healthier ones.
It’s also important to have a solid support system. Family members, friends, or even a support group can help you through this. You will be better prepared and less likely to take steps backward when you know you have people there to hold you up. It may not always be easy to open up. But, when you’re willing to let people in to help, it makes a big difference.
Unfortunately, a lot of people do not have strong support systems in the form of family or friends. Many people have really struggled to have healthy relationships with their families, or find their community as adults. If this is true for you, finding a good therapist can be even more empowering (and necessary).
If you’re struggling with anxiety, you’re certainly not alone. If you feel that it might stem from past trauma, it’s so important to work through those issues and get to a place where you feel more grounded and whole. You don’t have to live with feelings of helplessness or fear forever. Please read more about anxiety treatment here. And feel free to contact me for more information or to set up an appointment.
Photo by Michael Dziedzic on Unsplash