In this blog post, I offer you an explanation of the natural reaction to trauma and tips to move forward.
When people face an unexpected shock or trauma, the first natural reaction is a range of strong feelings: disbelief, anger, desperation, protest, sadness, and more. Sometime after the first explosion of emotions, people usually retreat into the waiting room. The waiting room of life. Time and space to process, re-group and get ready……
It happens after a divorce, a bereavement, a traumatic accident, a difficult health diagnosis, the death of a pet……
It is part of life as we can’t just switch on and off. It takes time and effort to work through the shock and come out the other end.
While you are in the waiting room, you are still participating in life. You do your regular jobs and tasks, so at first sight, it is as if nothing is going on. However, while you are pretending to be part of normality, your heart and soul are somewhere else. People might look at you and say ‘You are so strong’ and ‘coping so well’. If only they knew…
The time people stay in the waiting room is different per person and per situation, but it has an ending. At one stage you will come out the other end. It usually is a natural process, which takes time.
If you get stuck in the waiting room, you start to build your life around the shock you had and not around reality. That doesn’t support a happy and healthy life and if you notice you are stuck, it is important to get out.
Stuck in the waiting room after a trauma? Here are tips on how to get moving:
- While you were in the waiting room, what have you been doing to help yourself forward?
- What can you do at this moment in time to move forward?
- What is holding you back doing that?
- If there was one thing you could change in the here and now that would help you, what would that be?
- How can you start creating that one thing?
- If you struggle, I would love to talk to you and see what you could do. Book your slot for this FREE Coaching Session via Zoom or phone and start moving.
Read more about emotions here.
