Coping With Relationship Trauma

It’s a well-known fact that dating comes with great highs and lows.

Those who found themselves exposed too much to the latter may not come out of their relationships in the best state. They say time heals all wounds, but there’s something to be said about one’s quality of life in the interim. For the unfortunate, it pays to know how to cope with relationship trauma.

Defining Relationship Trauma

Putting it simply, this is trauma one suffered or was exposed to within the context or confines of a relationship. Professionals do not categorize this as an individual mental health disorder. Instead, it is under the overall category of post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD.

The events that cause this kind of trauma vary greatly, and usually over an extended time period. This makes the act of identifying it rather difficult. For some people, they can start showing signs as soon as something traumatic in the relationship happens. For others, the signs may appear much, much later.

Signs to Watch Out For

If you believe you or someone you know—a friend, family member, or even your partner—is suffering through trauma, it’s better to confirm by educating yourself on what signs to watch out for. Here are a few notable ones:

• Being Overly Apologetic
• Persistent Feelings of Fear or Distress
• Persistent Feelings of Guilt and Shame
• Being Overly Suspicious
• Experiencing Sleep Disturbances
• Suffering from Low Self-Esteem

Ways to Heal from Trauma

There’s no one way to move past something traumatic. Especially if the trauma inflicted on you came from someone you loved and trusted. With that said, those who are looking to heal will definitely benefit from any of the following:

• Confiding your troubles with a person you trust.

  If not a single person, then this can be an entire support network, if you are able to cultivate one. The more people you can count on, the better.

• Establishing a safe environment for yourself.

  This safety is not only limited to your physical well-being, but also with your emotional well-being.

• Practicing self-care.

  How you go about this can also be quite varied. Exercising, eating healthy, giving yourself as much time to rest, and doing things that spark joy in your life, such as traveling, are just a few examples.

• Approaching a professional.

  This can come in the form of counselors, therapists, and psychiatrists, especially if your mental health has been supremely compromised by your traumatic experience.

For those who notice signs of trauma while you are still involved in the relationship, it may be a good idea to take a break or a time-out . It won’t be the easiest thing to do, but it may become a necessity sooner or later.

It goes without saying that relationship trauma is no laughing matter. Any relationship worth entering and staying in ought to provide love, comfort, and safety, rather than the opposite of those.

When the lows of any relationship come along, it pays to know how to deal with them. It pays to know how to cope in the healthiest of ways.