The nation has been horrified to hear about another school shooting. For many in South Florida, however, the trauma surrounding school violence has hit particularly hard because this week’s shooting happened right in our own backyard. Many people likely know someone or know of a family with a child who attends the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL. Because of this, you might find it challenging to deal with your feelings about the event.
Keep in mind that it is normal to experience strong emotions, such as anger, fear, sadness, grief, and shock – even if you don’t know someone who is personally connected to the shooting. You might also have trouble concentrating or difficulty sleeping and you may even feel numb when talking about the incident with others. All of these reactions are typical responses of trauma psychology.
Tips for Overcoming Trauma
It will take a while to move past this heartbreaking tragedy, but we have some tips for managing your emotions during this horrific time. Following these guidelines can help you build resilience – the inner strength that you can draw on when you’re exposed to trauma or adversity.
- Take care of yourself. It’s significantly harder to work through strong emotions when you’re tired or not eating well. Try to eat a balanced diet and get plenty of rest. Set aside some time during the day for physical exercise, which is proven to reduce stress. Also, try not to use alcohol or drugs to dull your emotional pain – studies show they intensify negative emotions.
- Turn off the news coverage of the event. Watching endless repeats of the news coverage overexposes you the anxiety and raw emotions of the violence. Reading numerous reports on the internet can increase your stress. In particular, images of the school violence can prolong episodes of distress or trigger new anxiety about the event. Try to focus on something positive to help raise your optimism, which will, in turn, help you feel more encouraged.
- Keep to your routines. Patterns can provide a sense of comfort and security when your world has turned upside down.
- Don’t suppress your feelings. Everyone processes a stressful situation in different ways. Give yourself time to mourn the tragedy and remember that working through grief takes a long time. Don’t try to rush it. If you have a more intense reaction than you feel you should, talk to a mental health professional.
- Talk about it with others. By sharing your shock and distress, you’ll feel more supported, less alone, and less overwhelmed.
- Help out someone else. Not only does being of service to someone distract you from life’s problems, it boosts serotonin levels which helps you feel more positive.
- If you and your family or friends have been directly impacted by this mass shooting, you will experience some form of grief. You may also have some survivor’s guilt, particularly if you have a loved one who was at the school during the violence. You may feel alone and want to avoid others. Grief is unpredictable – it can seem to lessen, then reappear when you least expect it. Milestones, such as birthday or holidays, will often trigger a fresh round of mourning. Understand that this is part of grief and grieving is a long process.
*If you can’t move past this school violence or another traumatic event that has happened in your life, it may be beneficial to seek out a support group or turn to a qualified, licensed mental health professional in order to move forward. It is especially important to do so if you are unable to carry out the daily tasks of living, such as sleeping, eating, and other functions.
The Aftermath of School Violence – We Can Help
Our Children’s Center has specially trained clinicians on staff to help those who need help dealing with the school shooting or other traumatic situations. For more information, contact The Children’s Center for Psychiatry Psychology and Related Services in Delray Beach, Florida or call us today at (561) 223-6568.