stress > signs-and-symptoms-of-post-traumatic-stress

Activity: To be active, maybe through helping and giving to others may give some relief. And doing things routinely can give a sense of bringing life back to normal.

But both of these 'natural' ways of coping have inherent risks. Some people seek refuge in numbness by avoiding any reminder of the trauma - and so it is never dealt with. And over-activity is also a way of diverting attention from the fact that you might need help yourself.

How can you help yourself?

Keep in touch with information about the event and any developments. This keeps the trauma 'real' and helps you come to terms with what has happened and how it has affected you.
It can be a relief to receive other people's physical and emotional support, even though part of you might want to reject it as part of wanting to deny what has happened. Sharing with others who have had similar experiences can feel good, barriers can break down and close relationships develop.
As well as being with other people, you will sometimes want to be alone in order to deal with your feelings: privacy (as opposed to isolation) is important.

Some Do's and Don'ts

DON'T bottle up feelings
DO express your emotions
DON'T avoid talking about what happened
DO take opportunities to review the experience with yourself and others
DON'T let embarrassment stop you giving others as well as yourself the chance to talk
DO take time out to sleep, rest, think, and be with close friends and family
DON'T expect the memories to go away: the feelings will stay with you for a considerable time
DO express your needs clearly and honestly to friends, family, tutors, colleagues etc.
DO try to keep your life as normal as possible after the experience
DO be careful: accidents are more common after experiencing severe stress.

When to seek further help

if you feel disturbed by intense feelings or body sensations that you can no longer tolerate
if you think that your emotions are not falling into place, and that you feel very tense, confused, empty, or exhausted
if after a month you continue to be numb and do not have appropriate feelings, or you have to keep active in order not to feel distressed
if you continue to have nightmares and poor sleep
if you have nobody with whom to share your feelings and you feel the need to do so
if your relationships seem to be suffering, or sexual problems develop
if you have accidents
if you smoke, drink or take medication to excess since the event
if your work performance suffers

(published with permission in writing from:http://www.counselling.cam.ac.uk)