Dealing with Trauma

 

While reading Monika Kim’s book THE EYES ARE THE BEST PART, for my horror blog, I came to the conclusion that there are many people out there who have experienced trauma but haven’t been given the opportunity to seek help for it. 

There is quite a lot of stigma attached to seeking therapy, and more often than not, those who seek help are seen as weak, or quite simply put, regarded as mentally ill. Apart from that, therapy sessions can be quite expensive and not in the budget of many households who are financially struggling. The irony is, that there are people in these households that actually require assistance to cope with stress and trauma but cannot afford it. 

As humans in the modern world, we are expected to deal with crises on our own. It is our journey and we must fight, and overcome challenges. That is what makes you tough. Crying is evidence of weakness, and therefore it must be suppressed or done so in solitude. You are not allowed to cry in front of people for fear of them seeing you as a weak person who will get you nowhere in life. 

So let’s see what we have here: Crying is not allowed. Seeking medical help is seen as a weakness. Admitting you are prone to anxiety disorders and have suffered trauma, stigmatizes you as being crazy. 

That leaves one question: how do you deal with trauma and challenges that you must face every day? 

You are not given the opportunity to take a break when you experience grief. The faster you get on with your life, the stronger you are. It doesn’t matter that you are suffering heartbreak or dealing with panic attacks. Hide it all. Conceal don’t feel. 

How dare you still cry over a loved one passing away? Are you not strong enough. 

We are told that the world is an unforgiving place and that you must learn to cope faster. 

But why? 

Why must we keep telling ourselves that we must change every aspect of our being in order to survive in this world? 

You can’t change the world but you can change the way to react to it. 

And so, most of our lives are spent changing the way we look at things. We are made to believe that changing the way you look at things will help you succeed in life. We are told to conform in a way, to look at things the way everyone looks at it. 

Your individuality soon fades away. 

What makes you you, no longer exists. 

Ultimately, we will live in a world where everyone looks at things only one way. There will be no more unique perspectives. Strength is when we show no human emotion, that is what we are led to believe, isn’t it? 

Weakness is when we grieve the passing of our loved ones, show emotions, go out of the way to help others and make sacrifices for them. 

At the end of the day, we are forced into suppressing our true emotions which end up twisting our psyche in ways we cannot imagine. We were made to emote and express our feelings. When we have to subdue them, we risk damaging our minds and health. Worse, unresolved feelings sometimes develop into something sinister and violent. 

Trauma isn’t easy to get over, and there are several people out there who are unable to get the help they need. The best we can do is show compassion even if it is the hardest thing to do in this world. 

Just because an individual easily copes with a challenge, does not mean another individual is able to do so quite as capably. 

You never know what someone has been through or what they are still struggling through, which is why it has become important to show humanity and compassion to the people around you.