Read on Twitter
Right now we& #39;re all in survival mode, and doing anything more than survival is AMAZING. 1/20
We& #39;re all experiencing global level trauma -- Trauma, as defined for PTSD and other traumagenic disorders, is when you believe (rationally or not) that you might die from the circumstances or are witness to a lot of death. 2/20
This is an existential threat and absolutely does qualify for that definition of trauma. 3/20
Trauma takes a toll on the body and mind. It is physically and emotionally exhausting. Your body& #39;s only priority is to survive the threat, not to self-actualize or achieve great goals. Your brain actually shuts down some processes to direct resources elsewhere. 4/20
Another definition is "too much too soon" -- if you don& #39;t have the perspective to know you& #39;ll survive, that& #39;s traumatic. A child might be traumatized by a situation that& #39;s obvious to an adult isn& #39;t lethal, if no one helps the child to understand their safety. 5/20
In this situation, we can& #39;t have a full perspective. We haven& #39;t studied COVID-19 enough. We can reasonably say who is most vulnerable and we have best practices for preventing spread, but we& #39;re still in the process of learning about it. 6/20
We know enough to know that its potential impact is absolutely devastating. It is already devastating, and we know it can get much worse. The fallout, like widespread loss of income and shelter, is also devastating. 7/20
Worryingly, some people believe they do have enough perspective, and dismiss it as "just another flu" despite our understanding that the mild cases are like a severe flu and it spreads much, much faster. 8/20
Back to traumatic stress, survival, and how we& #39;re all functioning. Ideally, when first confronted with a stressor, you use your social engagement system -- that is, you talk to people you trust or listen to your leaders. 9/20
The people who are in positions of leadership have not only chosen not to act, but in some cases, are very obviously delighting in allowing people to die. The people who should be protecting us, instilling a sense of safety, are dangerous. 10/20
That makes the situation become more dangerous both practically and perceptually. We are left to fend for ourselves. We go to our friends and family and they are facing the same helpless-feeling situation that we are. 11/20
Luckily, some people in leadership positions ARE leading. Seek out those voices. 12/20
When confronted with danger without protection, we enter fight-or-flight or freeze. In fight-or-flight, you experience one activation of the vagus nerve, and freeze is another. You also experience one set of chemicals/hormones in fight-or-flight and another in freeze. 13/20
(check out The Polyvagal Theory by Dr. Stephen Porges, by the way! Or find videos of him on Youtube -- he& #39;s brilliant and very soothing to listen to.) 14/20
If you think you can take on the threat and live, you fight. If you think you can& #39;t win but you could escape it, you flee. If neither seem viable, you freeze. In this situation, all apply, and probably you& #39;ve been through all of them: 15/20
Picking fights and ranting about the goings-on (fight), putting off or dreading leaving home and thought-spiraling through possible scenarios (flight), and sitting around unable to do anything, unable to focus, or spacing out only to discover hours have passed (freeze) 16/20
Your brain is trying its best to keep you safe, when our normal living conditions have been rendered dangerous by a combination of an unknown, devastating virus, and a government that refuses to take care of its people. 17/20
There are things you can do to help yourself find safety during trauma (this will be another thread), but I urge you to also give yourself grace in this situation. If you& #39;re finding it difficult to function, that& #39;s because it IS hard. 18/20
One of the biggest aggravations for me during my trauma-induced temporary disability leave was how little I was able to do or focus on. It felt so unacceptable. 19/20
