For many people who have experienced trauma at one point or another in their life, anxiety is a common aftereffect. It’s common to feel stress after being part of or witnessing a negative experience that overwhelms your senses and ability to cope.
This could mean feeling anxiety around certain social situations or specific places. Anxiety can be caused by a multitude of factors or conditions. After a traumatic event, your brain can find itself constantly in survival mode. It’s common to feel like you’re always anticipating what’s next or be on high alert.
It’s not uncommon for those who have gone through something traumatic to develop anxiety later on. While every person will experience stress after a traumatic experience, not everybody will do so in the same way. Here are some ways that anxiety will manifest after trauma.
Common signs of post-trauma anxiety
Constantly apologizing
It’s common for some who were made to feel as if everything is their fault or are constantly criticized and develop a sense of shame. In many cases, this is due to neglect or emotional abuse during childhood. For example, a child could do nothing wrong, and the parent or caregiver could tell them “everything” is their fault. This can manifest in a need to apologize even if you haven’t done anything wrong.
Being overly aware of surroundings
Many survivors find themselves being hypervigilant at all times. This is due to their nervous system keeping them constantly prepared for any type of threat, both real and perceived. It’s common for them to feel less tension if they can see what is happening in front of them instead of having any type of surprise occur.
Feeling anxious when others get too close
Building off of the example above, it’s common for most people to be uncomfortable or even anxious when someone sits too close to them. In a post-pandemic world, many people find it unnerving when someone gets in their personal space. This is especially true for someone with social anxiety due to past trauma.
When a person’s boundaries are violated, they tend to have a heightened awareness of those around them. An example would be if there are multiple empty tables in an open seating space, such as a food court or library, and someone sits right next to you.
This could feel as if someone is invading the imaginary personal bubble, and it could lead to someone with anxiety wondering why this is happening and what their intentions are. Even if someone means no harm by getting close, the fear and threat of this can feel overwhelming.
Avoiding making or answering phone calls
It may seem obvious that someone with anxiety would avoid social situations. In this particular case, someone with previous trauma could avoid answering phone calls or making phone calls. This could be due to the trauma of being put on the spot, violating boundaries or privacy, or feeling cornered in previous conversations.
For example, if a specific person in your life has called you and the conversation was negative, you could be fearful that all subsequent calls could end the same way.
Feeling anxious in group settings
Another social situation that can cause anxiety is group events. In some cases, it stems from growing up in a chaotic environment where the person always had to be prepared to care for someone else. As a result, it’s easy to feel overstimulated in social settings. These events can feel draining and like there’s no end to the event.
Many people who have experienced past traumas may find themselves looking for ways out, such as looking at their phone, staying silent, or going into another room. It’s also common for someone with social anxiety to try to cancel plans over fear of something negative happening.
Online EMDR therapy Utah
If you or someone you know is struggling with anxiety after a traumatic event, therapy for anxiety or trauma therapy can help. Telehealth services are available to all residents in Utah Reach out today to start your journey to change.
