When you are involved in a severe accident, most of the time, you end up finding out that healing from the intense feelings of stress can be tricky. In fact, a lot of people who have been involved in car accidents find it harder to cope with the mental damage than the physical loss they’ve experienced because of the crash.
Some people are unharmed during the accident but start experiencing psychological difficulties even weeks or months after the traumatic event. And you may be experiencing the same feelings at the moment if you’ve been involved in a horrific incident.
How Can Your Lawyer Help You?
You may not know this or you may have forgotten, but you’re not alone. If you’re already fighting your battle in court, your lawyer is not just your legal fighter. Your lawyer, if he or she is reliable and a good one, can help you fight the mental campaign as well. He or she knows that the chances of the experiencing emotional trauma after a terrifying experience is high. He or she also knows that most of your family and friends may have difficulties in understanding what you feel. Your lawyer understands that:
- Recovering from your emotional pain is an essential part of your healing
- Symptoms of your accident include not just physical ones but also emotional ones
- Negligent drivers and their insurance companies should know that emotional pain is as real as your physical pain
- All your damages (physical or emotional) should heal
Mental Symptoms to Watch out For
After a horrific vehicle accident, you’ll experience a lot of feelings; feelings that range from fury to incapacity to an ongoing sense of death. Your symptoms may be obvious right after the accident, or you may not feel them for a few weeks. Your symptoms may include:
- Upset, refusal, and disbelief
- Guilt of surviving if someone else died, which can lead to self-blame or shame
- Rage, short temper, and an extreme feeling of unrest
- Worry, anxiousness, fear, and stress
- Unhappiness, and despair
- Extreme mood swings
- Isolation of one’s self
These symptoms can affect your day to day activities, your ability to openly communicate with your family and friends, to properly work, and even to function as an individual who contributes to society. The sad news is that these are not the only symptoms that you may experience. After the crash you may also experience:
- Uncertainty, difficulty in paying attention, as well as difficulties in remembering
- Flashbacks
- Challenges in dealing with your physical pain
Aside from these effects, you may also feel these physical effects:
- Difficulty sleeping
- Becoming overly watchful
- Getting scared easily
- Uncontrollable crying
- High level of heartbeat and difficulty in breathing
- Severe headaches or migraines
- Digestive system disorders
- Tensions in your muscles, pains, and aches without physical cause
- Fatigue
Mental Health Tips That Can Help You Cope
Your mind is an incredible organ, yet it’s wonderfully complex. However, once your brain gets affected, fixing it can be quite tricky. Gladly, here are some of the things that you can do that will greatly help you cope with this kind of damage:
1.Give yourself some time.
You should never hurry yourself up. Your recovery, physically and mentally, takes time. You should give yourself some time to accept the incident and learn to live with what has happened. Doing this will also help you face the reality of the accident and won’t leave you wondering of the things that could have happened.
2. Never make major life changes.
You may think that you need to make significant changes in your life to help you forget about the accident. However, this may not be helpful in the long run as your judgment as of the moment may not be as good as it was before. You may make a decision that you later on regret. Before making a decision, you should:
- Ask advice from people you trust
- Think about it, not once or twice but a lot of times
- Ask yourself if you’ll regret your decision weeks from now, months from now, or years from now
3. Ask for support.
Little by little, you should let yourself talk about what you’re going through with other people. It can significantly help you to talk about the crash; it may allow you to assist you in coming to terms with what has occurred. You can:
- Join organizations composed of people who also have gone through similar accidents
- Talk to your closest friends and family
- Get professional help
When talking to different people, you should never be ashamed to show your emotions; it’s understandable and helpful.
4. Never drink or use drugs.
You may think that taking drugs or drinking alcohol can help you block out your memories of the accident. They may work for a little while, but they’ll only stop you from dealing with the crash. And in the long run, they may cause you more problems.
5. Talk about what you feel.
Having strong feelings right after an accident is perfectly reasonable, and you should never be ashamed of them. Bottling all your emotions up can only make you feel worse and may even damage your physical health.
A terrifying vehicle accident can change your life in a matter of seconds. You may encounter physical damages that will have adverse effects on your work, social life, and your finances, but you should never forget that your emotional scars are also devastating. You should never cover it up, as most people do. Follow these tips that we have given you above, and together with a good lawyer, like the ones here, you’ll get your much-needed resolution.
Vicki Haskett
Vicki is a law writing enthusiast who’s had over 25 years of experience in her field. She enjoys sharing her experiences with those who want to learn more about the legal world. In her spare time she spends quality time with her family and friends.