Category: Trauma

Trauma and traumatic experience recovery tips.

What to Do After a Motorcycle Accident

As all bikers understand, riding your motorcycle can be one of the best experiences you can have. Unfortunately, when bikers get into accidents, they are way more likely to be injured than people in cars. In addition, many drivers fail to watch out for bikers and end up causing crashes that can cause monetary losses, severe injuries, and even death in many cases.

If you love riding your motorcycle, you should make sure you know what to do in the case of an accident. While you may be a careful rider, you never know when someone else’s negligence could lead to an accident, so make sure you are prepared for any eventuality.

So, what should you do if you find yourself in an accident on your bike?

Check for injuries.

The first thing you need to do is check yourself and anyone else involved in the accident for injuries. Make sure you are okay, then check on anyone in the vehicle if you can as well.

Get out of the road.

If your bike ended up in the road after the crash, try to get it off the road once you’ve checked everyone for injuries. Leaving your bike in the road can cause a hazard for incoming motorists and possibly cause another accident.

Call 9-1-1.

As soon as you’ve checked for injuries and removed your bike from the road if you can, you need to call 9-1-1. If you don’t have a phone, make sure the other driver calls. Explain you’ve had an accident. If there are injuries or you cannot get your bike from the road, let the operator know this. If there are no injuries or hazards in the road, then let the operator know that there is not an emergency, but you need police assistance at the scene of the crash.

Document the scene.

You’ll want to document everything you can from the crash site. As Ronald Rosen, a motorcycle accident lawyer in Hollywood, FL, explains, this can be very helpful later when you’re filing an insurance claim, and it can be even more important if you end up filing an appeal to your insurance company’s decision. Get pictures of every detail of the crash scene and try to record the statements of any eyewitnesses in the area.

Contact your insurance company.

You need to contact your insurance company to report the accident right away. Explain what happened and offer any evidence you have that the crash was not caused by your negligence.

Get legal help.

As attorney John Demas explains on his motorcycle accident lawyer FAQs page, fighting an unfair insurance decision after a motorcycle crash can be tricky, so you may want to get some expert legal help. St. Louis MO motorcycle accident attorney Benjamin Sansone agrees, explaining that you should make sure you get the compensation you need to recover from any injuries or financial losses you suffered due to the crash.

These are just a few things you should keep in mind if you ever find yourself in a motorcycle crash. Remember to wear a helmet, pay attention to traffic laws, and do your best to avoid a crash, but if you get into one, make sure you follow these steps to make the situation less stressful.

How Can Stress Affect Your Health?

Life can be stressful at times, with many demands on your time, it can sometimes feel as though there aren’t enough hours in the day. While everyone has a tough day now and then, there are times when this can be bad for you. If you start to become stressed every day, then those same hormones that trigger stress can start to cause more serious problems. Here is how stress can affect your health if you don’t do something about it.

What Causes Stress

When you are confronted with a situation that causes you to get frustrated or worried, such as being stuck in traffic, it can trigger a response in your brain. The hypothalamus, which is the brains control tower, starts to send stress hormones; it’s these hormones that start to trigger the fight or flight response. It is a natural reaction to things that make you feel threatened, but modern-day problems can also trigger it. It causes your heart to race, your breath to speed up and your muscles to tense. While getting stressed every so often is ok, if you start to get this every day, that’s when the problems can start.

Headaches

With so much going on to get you stressed, you might think that you are getting headaches because you are tired. However, headaches can be a common sign of stress. Not only can you get headaches, but it can also trigger painful and debilitating migraines as well. Stress type headaches typically feel like a tight band around the head, whereas migraines usually center over the eyes. While painkillers can alleviate the symptoms, they will keep returning until you learn to deal with the stress or remove those situations from your life.

Muscle Tension

As the stress hormones are getting your muscles ready for the flight or fight response, they can get painful and tense, especially if there is nowhere for the energy to go. One way to help is to go for a walk or a jog if you have the time. Using up the energy in the muscles can prevent them from becoming painful and help the hormones to disperse. Another good way to ease the pain is to do stretching exercises such as yoga or Pilates.

Sleep Problems

Another area that is affected by stress is your sleep. With so many hormones running through your body, it can disrupt your sleep to the point where you find it difficult to get to sleep. If you do manage to get to sleep, it can also cause you to wake frequently. Relaxation exercises before bed can help to alleviate the problem; it is also important not to have any stimulants before bedtimes such as tea or coffee. If you are the type of person that likes to work in bed or just before you go to bed, then you need to try and finish about an hour or so before you go to bed. It will give your body chance to rest and relax, try listening to some music or perhaps a talking book.

Digestive Issues

The stress hormone can also affect your digestive system. Some people experience heartburn or a worsening of existing heartburn when they become stressed. Others can start to feel nauseous and get an upset stomach. These symptoms are common with excessive stress and can be relieved if the factor causing the stress can be removed. There is some research that suggests Irritable Bowel Syndrome or IBS can also be caused by stress or at least made worse by it.

Hair Loss or Thinness

The effects of stress can have an impact on other areas of the body. There is evidence to suggest that stress can cause some types of hair loss in men and women. It can be distressing and lead to even more tension. It makes for a vicious circle that also leads to depression and anxiety. By trying to relieve some of the stress and manage the anxiety, it can halt the effects. Then, with the help of companies such as Capillus, you can start to generate new natural hair growth.

Changes in Mood

It might not be noticeable to the person with the stress, but changes in mood can be picked up by others. Typically, friends and family will notice the changes that can include irritability, anger, short temper and mood swings. In many cases, the stress that the people are under means they cannot see how it is affecting other people. It is important that they are supported and encouraged to lower their stress levels so that their mood improves.

Eating

Some people will experience changes in their appetite when they become stressed. It is not uncommon to find those under stress to overeat or the opposite and under eat. Both of these can cause their own problems such as high blood pressure and fat accumulation around the internal organs. That is why it is vital that they find some way to minimize the stress they are under and try to stay on a healthy diet to control weight gain.

Anxiety and Depression

Unfortunately, the effect of too much stress can sometimes cause people to become depressed and develop anxiety. It often happens to people who are more sensitive to stressful situations. It can also cause many of the symptoms of mood changes including mood swings and irritability. It can be difficult to help people that are experiencing depression, but it is important that they get the support and therapy they need to make a recovery. By trying to encourage them to seek help and to interact with people in the same situation, you can help them on the road to recovery.

Stress can have a huge effect on your body and your mood. While you can never totally get rid of stress in your life, it is important that you do all you can to reduce it as much as possible for your benefit and that of your family.

Are You Struggling after a Traumatic Experience? Here Are 5 Practical Steps to Help You Heal and Recover

Whether rich or poor, male or female, young or old, traumatic experiences happen to everyone indiscriminately. While the nature of the incident might be different – ranging from death and property loss, to violence and even natural calamities – when disaster strikes, it always greatly affects every single individual involved. The aftermath of such unfortunate events is always a huge blow to many and can spark a cascade of stress and depression. However, be encouraged that it is possible for you to go through trying times and get back on your feet despite the severity of the incident. Here are some of the most important steps you should take in order to successfully navigate yourself to recovery.

  1. Say no to self-pity

Despite the level of frustration and despair your trauma has caused, you must resist the temptation to drown in self-pity by blaming yourself. While you might be inclined to ask ‘What’s wrong with me?’ or ‘Why did this happen to me?’, remember that there are very many factors that could’ve contributed to a particular incident. Hence, what happened to you could’ve happened to anyone. There is nothing wrong with you!

  1. Confide in someone

When at your lowest moments, you will surely need someone to hold your hand and walk you through it all. Find someone who you trust, whether it be a family member or a professional counselor, and vent out how you feel, sharing your thoughts and fears with them. They will be a source of encouragement when you feel low since they can embrace you and see to it that you continue in the process to recovery.

  1. Out of sight; out of mind

Many post-traumatic individuals deteriorate when they see visual reminders of what has happened in the past. You need to bring yourself to the point of letting go of what happened while looking forward to what the future has in store. You should purpose to eliminate any thing which acts as a physical reminder of the tragic events. For instance, if you are recovering from a homicide, you definitely need to find a crime scene cleanup firm to clear away any blood and other physical reminders of the incident. This will help you to regain peace of mind.

  1. Take action

Having gone through extremely difficult times, finding purpose in the midst of all the darkness will definitely help a great deal in hastening the healing process. You can use your experience to create awareness and therefore prevent others from going through the same harrowing ordeal. In addition, you can join a support group and seek to comfort others who find themselves in the same position that you were in.

  1. Have patience

As they say, time heals all wounds. You need to be patient with yourself knowing that each day you are moving closer to recovery. So don’t be too hard on yourself, but rather hold on to the hope of betterment that each dawn brings.