COPING with TRAUMATIC EVENTS and NEWS As Details About Tragedies Unfold, It Is Normal to Have a Wide Range of Thoughts, Feelings and Reactions

COPING WITH TRAUMATIC EVENTS AND NEWS As details about tragedies unfold, it is normal to have a wide range of thoughts, feelings and reactions. If you have experienced past traumas, you may be experiencing memories and feelings from those events and have increased symptoms now. For very public traumas, even those who have not been directly experienced the crisis may be affected. COMMON REACTIONS Please recognize that experiencing any of these can be normal reactions and that, with time, there is a natural healing process which occurs. Over the next few days or weeks you may experience periods of: • Shock, numbness • Feelings of helplessness • Social withdraw • Confusion • Sadness, depression • Difficulty concentrating • Moodiness and irritability • Fatigue • Difficulty sleeping • Anxiety, worrying, panic • Disturbing images or memories • Anger and blame of others • Jumpiness, hyper-vigilance • Nausea, headaches • Numbness or feeling like • Guilt • Feeling vulnerable or unsafe you are not reacting

Shifts in priorities, worldview and appreciation of others can also occur — some people experience positive changes despite their initial pain and grief.

MORE RESOURCES Stress reactions usually diminish in severity over time. However, if your symptoms persist, cause you excessive discomfort, or increase over time you may want to seek professional assistance. STUDENTS For students interested in support please contact: Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) located at the Tang Center. To talk to a counselor: Call (510) 642-9494. Students can also be seen for crisis drop-in Monday-Friday from 10am-5pm. If you need to speak with a counselor urgently when the Tang Center is closed, please call the 24/7 counseling line at (855) 817-5667. uhs.berkeley.edu/counseling FACULTY & STAFF Be Well at Work Employee Assistance is available for confidentialsupport. Telephone consultations and appointments for office visits at the Tang Center can be made by calling (510) 643-7754 or by sending an e-mail to [email protected].

uhs.berkeley.edu REASONS FOR FEELING TROUBLED DURING AND AFTER AN EVENT The death of a loved one physical contact, keeping in touch, and of disconnectedness from yourself, Traumatic events often include injury making plans to do things together. others, and your work. Seek out and death. You may have known support from a friend or counselor to someone who died during a tragic Post-trauma at the help restore your sense of order and event or this event may remind you of workplace control. other deaths or losses. Even the death After a traumatic event, your of a pet can be traumatic. Symptoms colleagues and co-workers may also Fear of your own safety Tragedies that occur may create of grief and loss are similar to the post- experience some of the reactions additional feelings of fear for your trauma symptoms listed above, and listed above. Worksite group meetings own safety on campus. This feeling many of the coping strategies listed to discuss individual experiences is normal, yet it also gives us an below can help for grief as well. and plans for the future can be very helpful. Remember that each person opportunity to strengthen our can experience trauma differently. By community. There are some actions Traumatized children extending patience and understanding you can take to feel more in control Children who have experienced you can support yourself and others in of your safety and environment: pay a trauma first or second-hand readjusting to life after a crisis. attention to your own surroundings; need special attention. Children’s talk with other students; seek symptoms may include excessive The effects of cumulative counseling for yourself or group fears, unwillingness to go to school, counseling for your living communities; nightmares, and increases in regressive trauma Psychologically, we connect traumas. speak up if you feel someone around behaviors such as bedwetting and If you experience a new trauma before you needs help - whether that means thumb sucking. Give your child an you’ve had enough time to heal from seeking counseling or calling the opportunity to ask questions, and previous trauma, you may experience campus police; and review the Safety respond in age-appropriate ways. the separate events as related. This Counts campus police publication. Remember that your child may hear can lead to intensified symptoms others talk about the trauma, and and prolonged recovery time. As a that without clear information, they result of multiple traumatic incidents, can gain a distorted view of the crisis. you may experience a greater sense Reassure your child by increasing COPING WITH THESE REACTIONS People can take steps to help themselves, family members and each other cope with stress reactions. Experience your thoughts sports, hobbies and reading. or boss about how to handle your and feelings workload and still give yourself time to You have the right to have thoughts Remember recover. and feelings even if you were not Remember each person experiences directly affected. Remind yourself that trauma differently and that you and Take action you are normal and having normal others may have different needs at While you do not want to make big life reactions. different times, try to be flexible. changes in the immediate aftermath Remember that when under stress you of a traumatic event, find ways to Talk about your thoughts may not react in a manner you would express your thoughts and feelings and feelings normally expect. about the trauma. Suggestions include Even when the trauma is something political action, community service and that is being talked about publicly, it is Moderate your news spiritual/religious practice to name a important to talk to others about how If the trauma is widely publicized, be few. you are affected. Talk to someone who mindful of how the media reports feels safe to you. affect you. While having information Seek support is helpful for some crisis, some people Seek support from campus and Take time may want to limit how much they read, community resources. Consult a Be good to yourself—spend time with listen to or watch the news. mental health professional if you need people you care about and do things assistance or want to gauge your that make you feel better. Take breaks, School and work reactions. schedule pleasant activities, engage in If you are having trouble concentrating positive distracting activities such as in class or work talk to your professors 10/2019