Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsFocus on What’s ImportantFind SupportLessen Your Stress ResponseProcess Your FeelingsFocus on Self-CarePractice Accepting Your FeelingsFocus on Your SensesTry Creative ExplorationUtilize Deep BreathingStick With a RoutineFocus on Things You Can ControlKnow When to Seek HelpFrequently Asked Questions

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Focus on What’s Important

Find Support

Lessen Your Stress Response

Process Your Feelings

Focus on Self-Care

Practice Accepting Your Feelings

Focus on Your Senses

Try Creative Exploration

Utilize Deep Breathing

Stick With a Routine

Focus on Things You Can Control

Know When to Seek Help

Frequently Asked Questions

Close

Everyone deals with varying degrees ofstressand sometimes trauma, both big and small. Many different events in life can contribute to trauma, including ongoingchronic stress, medical issues, natural disasters, job loss, divorce, and other challenges.

The American Psychological Association definestraumaas an emotional response to a stressful event. After a trauma, people experience feelings of shock and denial. Long-term effects of trauma may include intense emotions, physical symptoms, flashbacks, and problems with relationships.

At a GlanceFortunately, there are healthy ways to cope with a crisis and get to the other side. When you arecoping with a crisis, some things you can do include:Focus on your immediate, most critical needsFind supportUse relaxation techniquesFind tools to process your emotionsCare for yourselfAccept how you’re feelingUse grounding techniques to combat distressFind a creative outletTry deep breathing to fight anxietyKeep a regular routineFocus on what you can controlSeek help when you need it

At a Glance

Fortunately, there are healthy ways to cope with a crisis and get to the other side. When you arecoping with a crisis, some things you can do include:Focus on your immediate, most critical needsFind supportUse relaxation techniquesFind tools to process your emotionsCare for yourselfAccept how you’re feelingUse grounding techniques to combat distressFind a creative outletTry deep breathing to fight anxietyKeep a regular routineFocus on what you can controlSeek help when you need it

Fortunately, there are healthy ways to cope with a crisis and get to the other side. When you arecoping with a crisis, some things you can do include:

Press Play for Advice On Dealing With Emotional Crises

When dealing with the aftermath of a crisis, it’s important to focus your resources. Just getting through the day is an accomplishment, so paring down your responsibilities in order to just do that should be key.

An example of something you can do to conserve your resources is to order take-out instead of preparing meals. By doing this, you can cut down on shopping and cooking, put unnecessary commitments on hold, and just focus on what really needs to be done to conserve your physical and emotional energy.

How Social Support Contributes to Psychological Health

When you experience a crisis (or even when someone close to you experiences a crisis), your body’sstress responsemay become triggered and stay triggered. The result is that you are kept in a state of constant stress.

It may be difficult to feel “relaxed” in the midst or aftermath of a crisis, but you can practicestress relief techniquesthat can reduce the intensity of your stress levels, help youreverse your stress response, and feel more resilient in the face of what comes next.

Strategies likeguided imagery,yoga,meditation, andprogressive muscle relaxationcan be beneficial.

Whether youwrite in your journal, talk to a good friend, or consult a therapist, it’s important to put words to your experience in order to better integrate it.

As you move through the crisis, you may be tempted to ignore your feelings for fear that you’ll ‘wallow’ too much and get ‘stuck’, but processing your feelings allows you to move through them and let them go.

In order to avoid adding to your problems, be sure to eat a healthy diet, get enough sleep, exercise regularly, and do other things to keep your body functioning at its best.

Also, try to do some things you normally enjoy, like seeing a movie, reading a good book, or gardening, to relieve some of the stress you’re going through.

Comforting yourself when you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed is also important. Strategies like going for a short walk, writing in agratitude journal, meditating, or relaxing with a weighted blanket can foster positive feelings that may help boostresilienceand mental strength.

The 9 Best Weighted Blankets, Tested and Reviewed

Painful and difficult emotions can be scary, but learning how to accept and tolerate these feelings can be helpful. Instead of rejecting, denying, or trying to suppress such feelings,emotional acceptancestresses the importance of allowing them to exist and recognizing that they cannot harm you.

Doing this can help you better understand your emotions; it can also help you regulate them more effectively.

Grounding is a strategy that helps distract you from intrusive memories, difficult emotions, and flashbacks.

Physical grounding techniques that you might find helpful include:

The 5-4-3-2-1 grounding method can also be helpful. This strategy involves listings things you see around you, starting with five and working your way down to one. For example, you might list five things you can see, four things you can hear, three things you can touch, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste.

Grounding Techniques for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

The arts and creative expression can also be a way to cope with trauma. This approach suggests that artistic methods can help promote healing and foster greater mental well-being.

Research has found thatart therapycan be helpful in the treatment ofpost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).Another study found that art therapy was associated with significant reductions in symptoms of trauma and depression in adults who had experienced a traumatic event.

Creative expression is something that you might opt to try on your own. Some strategies you might try include coloring, drawing, finger painting, sculpting, painting, or photography.

Or you might choose to seek help from a mental health professional who is experienced in this approach to therapy.

Deep breathing canbe a highly effective tool for coping with feelings of anxiety and stress.Also known as diaphragmatic breathing, this approach involves taking deep breaths from the diaphragm rather than shallow breaths from the chest.

During times of stress, people often tend to take rapid, shallow breaths that increase the body’s anxiety response. Taking slower and deeper breaths helps calm the body and induce a state of relaxation.

These 9 Breathing Exercises Can Help Relieve Anxiety

When you are dealing with traumatic events in your life,keeping a routinecan be a helpful way to protect your mental health. When life feels unpredictable, this routine can provide you with a sense of focus and control.

Research suggests that such routines can help people manage their stress and anxiety levels.Maintaining some sense of structure can also help you take better care of yourself and your health as you face life’s challenges.

When you are coping with trauma, you may feel powerless or helpless, which can be both overwhelming and frightening. One way to combat this is to focus your attention onwhat you can control.

When you shift your attention off of the things that you have no power over or that you cannot change, you can better focus your energy on the things within your control that might help improve your situation. This can help you feel more empowered and resilient as you cope withstressorsin your life.

How to Stop Focusing on Things You Can’t Control

If you experience intrusive thoughts and feelings, have recurrent nightmares, or are unable to move through your life the way you need to because of your reaction to the trauma, even after several weeks, you may want to talk to a professional about your situation to be sure you’re getting the support you need.

Even if you have no major problems but just feel that it might be a good idea to talk to someone, it’s better to err on the side of having extra help. Effective treatments can help you feel better and get back on track.

If you are experiencing stress, anxiety, or other symptoms as a result of a natural or man-made disaster, contact SAMHSA’sDisaster Distress Helplineat1-800-985-5990for crisis counseling.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

If you are experiencing stress, anxiety, or other symptoms as a result of a natural or man-made disaster, contact SAMHSA’sDisaster Distress Helplineat1-800-985-5990for crisis counseling.

For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

Takeaway

Sometimes people who are dealing with a crisis or trauma wonder if their negative reactions are a sign of weakness or handling things the ‘right’ way. While there are more and less healthy ways to handle troubling situations, be patient with your feelings and reactions to things.

It’s natural to feel ‘not yourself’ after a major—or even minor—trauma, and accepting yourself and your reactions will help you feel better and process things more easily.

Symptoms of PTSD can affect mood, emotions, and behavior. Some symptoms that people with this condition may experience include intrusive thoughts about the trauma, flashbacks, avoidance of situations that trigger memories of the trauma, hypervigilance, nightmares, and anxiety.Learn More:Symptoms of PTSD

Symptoms of PTSD can affect mood, emotions, and behavior. Some symptoms that people with this condition may experience include intrusive thoughts about the trauma, flashbacks, avoidance of situations that trigger memories of the trauma, hypervigilance, nightmares, and anxiety.

Learn More:Symptoms of PTSD

Trauma can create changes in the brain that affect how traumatic memories are processed and stored. Experiencing trauma can cause hyper-activation of certain parts of the brain, including the amygdala and the mid-anterior cingulate cortex.Other areas, including the hippocampus, become underactive. This can then contribute to symptoms such as nighmares, flashbacks, hypervigilance, and intrusive memories.Learn More:What Does PTSD Do to the Brain?

Trauma can create changes in the brain that affect how traumatic memories are processed and stored. Experiencing trauma can cause hyper-activation of certain parts of the brain, including the amygdala and the mid-anterior cingulate cortex.Other areas, including the hippocampus, become underactive. This can then contribute to symptoms such as nighmares, flashbacks, hypervigilance, and intrusive memories.

Learn More:What Does PTSD Do to the Brain?

How to Cope With Natural Disasters

10 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Psychological Association.Trauma.Lindsay EK, Creswell JD.Mindfulness, acceptance, and emotion regulation: Perspectives from Monitor and Acceptance Theory (MAT).Curr Opin Psychol. 2019;28:120‐125. doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.12.004University of Rochester Medical Center.5-4-3-2-1 coping technique for anxiety.Van Lith T.Art therapy in mental health: A systematic review of approaches and practices.The Arts in Psychotherapy. 2016;47:9-22. doi:10.1016/j.aip.2015.09.003Schouten KA, de Niet GJ, Knipscheer JW, Kleber RJ, Hutschemaekers GJM.The effectiveness of art therapy in the treatment of traumatized adults.Trauma, Violence, & Abuse. 2014;16(2):220-228. doi:10.1177/1524838014555032Regev D, Cohen-Yatziv L.Effectiveness of art therapy with adult clients in 2018—what progress has been made?.Front Psychol. 2018;9:1531. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01531Zaccaro A, Piarulli A, Laurino M, et al.How breath-control can change your life: A systematic review on psycho-physiological correlates of slow breathing.Front Hum Neurosci. 2018;12:353. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2018.00353Eilam D, Izhar R, Mort J.Threat detection: behavioral practices in animals and humans.Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2011;35(4):999-1006. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2010.08.002Simon N, Roberts NP, Lewis CE, van Gelderen MJ, Bisson JI.Associations between perceived social support, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD (CPTSD): implications for treatment.Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2019;10(1):1573129. doi:10.1080/20008198.2019.1573129Hayes JP, Vanelzakker MB, Shin LM.Emotion and cognition interactions in PTSD: A review of neurocognitive and neuroimaging studies.Front Integr Neurosci. 2012;6:89. doi:10.3389/fnint.2012.00089

10 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Psychological Association.Trauma.Lindsay EK, Creswell JD.Mindfulness, acceptance, and emotion regulation: Perspectives from Monitor and Acceptance Theory (MAT).Curr Opin Psychol. 2019;28:120‐125. doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.12.004University of Rochester Medical Center.5-4-3-2-1 coping technique for anxiety.Van Lith T.Art therapy in mental health: A systematic review of approaches and practices.The Arts in Psychotherapy. 2016;47:9-22. doi:10.1016/j.aip.2015.09.003Schouten KA, de Niet GJ, Knipscheer JW, Kleber RJ, Hutschemaekers GJM.The effectiveness of art therapy in the treatment of traumatized adults.Trauma, Violence, & Abuse. 2014;16(2):220-228. doi:10.1177/1524838014555032Regev D, Cohen-Yatziv L.Effectiveness of art therapy with adult clients in 2018—what progress has been made?.Front Psychol. 2018;9:1531. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01531Zaccaro A, Piarulli A, Laurino M, et al.How breath-control can change your life: A systematic review on psycho-physiological correlates of slow breathing.Front Hum Neurosci. 2018;12:353. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2018.00353Eilam D, Izhar R, Mort J.Threat detection: behavioral practices in animals and humans.Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2011;35(4):999-1006. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2010.08.002Simon N, Roberts NP, Lewis CE, van Gelderen MJ, Bisson JI.Associations between perceived social support, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD (CPTSD): implications for treatment.Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2019;10(1):1573129. doi:10.1080/20008198.2019.1573129Hayes JP, Vanelzakker MB, Shin LM.Emotion and cognition interactions in PTSD: A review of neurocognitive and neuroimaging studies.Front Integr Neurosci. 2012;6:89. doi:10.3389/fnint.2012.00089

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

American Psychological Association.Trauma.Lindsay EK, Creswell JD.Mindfulness, acceptance, and emotion regulation: Perspectives from Monitor and Acceptance Theory (MAT).Curr Opin Psychol. 2019;28:120‐125. doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.12.004University of Rochester Medical Center.5-4-3-2-1 coping technique for anxiety.Van Lith T.Art therapy in mental health: A systematic review of approaches and practices.The Arts in Psychotherapy. 2016;47:9-22. doi:10.1016/j.aip.2015.09.003Schouten KA, de Niet GJ, Knipscheer JW, Kleber RJ, Hutschemaekers GJM.The effectiveness of art therapy in the treatment of traumatized adults.Trauma, Violence, & Abuse. 2014;16(2):220-228. doi:10.1177/1524838014555032Regev D, Cohen-Yatziv L.Effectiveness of art therapy with adult clients in 2018—what progress has been made?.Front Psychol. 2018;9:1531. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01531Zaccaro A, Piarulli A, Laurino M, et al.How breath-control can change your life: A systematic review on psycho-physiological correlates of slow breathing.Front Hum Neurosci. 2018;12:353. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2018.00353Eilam D, Izhar R, Mort J.Threat detection: behavioral practices in animals and humans.Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2011;35(4):999-1006. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2010.08.002Simon N, Roberts NP, Lewis CE, van Gelderen MJ, Bisson JI.Associations between perceived social support, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD (CPTSD): implications for treatment.Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2019;10(1):1573129. doi:10.1080/20008198.2019.1573129Hayes JP, Vanelzakker MB, Shin LM.Emotion and cognition interactions in PTSD: A review of neurocognitive and neuroimaging studies.Front Integr Neurosci. 2012;6:89. doi:10.3389/fnint.2012.00089

American Psychological Association.Trauma.

Lindsay EK, Creswell JD.Mindfulness, acceptance, and emotion regulation: Perspectives from Monitor and Acceptance Theory (MAT).Curr Opin Psychol. 2019;28:120‐125. doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.12.004

University of Rochester Medical Center.5-4-3-2-1 coping technique for anxiety.

Van Lith T.Art therapy in mental health: A systematic review of approaches and practices.The Arts in Psychotherapy. 2016;47:9-22. doi:10.1016/j.aip.2015.09.003

Schouten KA, de Niet GJ, Knipscheer JW, Kleber RJ, Hutschemaekers GJM.The effectiveness of art therapy in the treatment of traumatized adults.Trauma, Violence, & Abuse. 2014;16(2):220-228. doi:10.1177/1524838014555032

Regev D, Cohen-Yatziv L.Effectiveness of art therapy with adult clients in 2018—what progress has been made?.Front Psychol. 2018;9:1531. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01531

Zaccaro A, Piarulli A, Laurino M, et al.How breath-control can change your life: A systematic review on psycho-physiological correlates of slow breathing.Front Hum Neurosci. 2018;12:353. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2018.00353

Eilam D, Izhar R, Mort J.Threat detection: behavioral practices in animals and humans.Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2011;35(4):999-1006. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2010.08.002

Simon N, Roberts NP, Lewis CE, van Gelderen MJ, Bisson JI.Associations between perceived social support, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD (CPTSD): implications for treatment.Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2019;10(1):1573129. doi:10.1080/20008198.2019.1573129

Hayes JP, Vanelzakker MB, Shin LM.Emotion and cognition interactions in PTSD: A review of neurocognitive and neuroimaging studies.Front Integr Neurosci. 2012;6:89. doi:10.3389/fnint.2012.00089

Meet Our Review Board

Share Feedback

Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit

What is your feedback?