Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash
I can’t breathe.
On May 25, George Floyd a
46-year-old-Black man, who was accused of buying cigarettes with a fake $20
bill, ended up dead moments later after 911 was called and the police arrived
on the scene. Floyd was murdered in eight minutes and forty-six seconds by a
White policeman putting a knee on his neck as three other policemen watched
while ignoring Floyd’s crying out, I can’t breathe. Unfortunately, all too
familiar words.
Murders of Black men at the hands
of cops. Senseless killings of innocent children by bullets meant for others or
at the hands of evil people. Protesting. Rioting. Looting. Blatant racism. Gun violence.
Political insanity. And, on top of all that, the COVID-19 pandemic. These are
all hot topics constantly being discussed around the world and even in other
countries.
Plus, my profession as a therapist
requires me to be as fully present as possible with my clients. And, many of
them have experienced their own trauma. Although I love my job, listening to
clients share their trauma stories, along with dealing with the hot topics I
mentioned above going on in the world, is exhausting at times.
No wonder I began experiencing symptoms of vicarious trauma, also
known as secondary trauma.
Truthfully, you too could be
experiencing symptoms of vicarious trauma. In fact, as you read this blog post,
you could even be recovering from your own COVID-19 diagnosis. Sadly, enough
you could be grieving the loss of family members or friends to this deadly
virus.
Exactly what is vicarious trauma?
“Vicarious trauma (VT) and Secondary
Traumatic Stress (STS)
are frequently used interchangeably to refer to the indirect trauma that can occur when we are exposed to
difficult or disturbing images and stories second-hand. This can occur by
viewing graphic news reports, gruesome or frightening television shows and various
other media, hearing a detailed traumatic story from another person, viewing
crime scene evidence, working in a court room, attending a debriefing or a
conference where disturbing images are described or shown, and many other ways
in which we can be indirectly affected by the content or visuals of some other
living creature’s suffering.”
I have been experiencing the following symptoms of vicarious trauma:
●
Emotional
– feelings of grief, sadness, and irritability
●
Behavioral
– difficulty sleeping
●
Physiological
– out of nowhere a rash developed on my elbow that was itching me like crazy
●
Cognitive
– difficulty concentrating
●
Spiritual
– feeling disconnected from others
Therefore, I increased my
self-care. Truthfully, self-care is even more paramount because of all the
uncertainties and stressful times we are living in today.
According to Raphalia Michael, MA, self-care is defined as:
“Self-care is any activity
that we do deliberately to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical
health. Although it is a simple concept in theory, it is something we very
often overlook. Good self-care is key to improved mood and
reduced anxiety. It’s also key to a good relationship with oneself
and others.”
If you have flown on an airplane
any time in your life, you’re told that, in the event of an emergency, put your
own mask on first.
Why do you think this spiel is
always repeated before take-off?
I will tell you.
If you do not put the oxygen mask
on yourself first, you will not be able to help anyone else should an emergency
occur.
Self-care is like that oxygen mask.
It’s crucial to prevent the vicarious trauma symptoms I have been experiencing
from exacerbating. Eventually helping others will become a pastime if I neglect
myself.
Below are 10 self-help techniques
that I have recently kicked up a notch:
- I limit my
time watching the news and on social media and avoid heated debates with
folks over various posts that really do not matter in the scheme of things
- I reach
out to fellow mental health professionals for support without feeling
ashamed to do so
- I ensure
that I go to the nail shop and get a pedicure twice a month
- I keep
balance in my life
- I read at
least one book a week
- I journal
more consistently
- I watch
more comedies and less crime shows
- I listen
to some of Amazon Music’s gospel streaming
platforms
- I
consistently go walking in the nearby park
- I pray,
pray, and pray some more
If you feel as though you are
experiencing vicarious trauma, please feel free to use any of the tidbits
above.
And, remember that you are not
alone…
