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Chronic Stress vs. Complex Trauma
Trauma-Related Childhood Abuse
Keep in mind that May is Mental Health Awareness Month a time to examine oneself and learn all you can about mental health and how it affects everyone.
Stress. What human beings living in this wild and crazy world today don’t experience it. Yet, people who live with complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) handle stress differently than those who have not experienced trauma in childhood.
This article will explore the differences between chronic stress and complex trauma and trauma-informed care.
Chronic Stress
Stress is not our enemy; stress revs up our autonomic nervous system to make us ready to respond by activating our fight/flight/freeze response. The fight/flight/freeze response enables us to think clearer and respond quickly to things in our lives that need a solution.
However, if stress becomes chronic, it can rob you of your ability to experience joy and possibly negatively affect your health.
Although you might see them together, there are broad differences between chronic stress and complex trauma. Each has its complications and symptoms, but one should not equate them.
