In a 2019 report by Allstate, drivers in Utah ranked number 67 among 200 in a poll titled “America’s Best Drivers.” It is based on research, news reports, and accounts by lawyers and survivors. The survey ranked states based on the frequency of car crashes. Car accident injury lawyers in Salt Lake City stated that this place alone faced 69 deadly crashes in 2016. It is not a good sign, as car crashes cost lives and livelihoods. And besides being dangerous, they can cause significant emotional distress, including trauma.
If you’ve been through a severe road accident, you might find that you’re no longer the same person you were before it. This idea is a common core belief by trauma survivors: Yes, you’ve survived a traumatic incident. You’re a survivor, and you can do this.
Here are things to remember that may help you pick yourself up again.
See Someone
Trauma is a legitimate mental health concern, and you might want to see a psychiatrist in the aftermath of an accident, no matter how strong you believe you are. You may have to go through therapy and medication, but it doesn’t have to be for a lifetime. Even so, there’s nothing wrong about that, and you must do everything you can to help yourself cope, especially when you have PTSD. The symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder include uncontrollable flashbacks, nightmares, and persistent anxiety. If you show any signs of PTSD, ask help from a doctor right away.
Start Slowly
You don’t have to return to the road right away. Heal at your own pace. Start by learning how to walk on the sidewalks again. Then, when you’re brave enough, try to cross streets with somebody’s help. If it makes things easier for you, ride in carpools with friends and family (It also saves the environment, that way!). Then, when you’re brave enough to start driving again, take baby steps. Begin in your own block. Slowly adjust to the immediate neighborhood. Soon, you’ll be driving as you used to again.
Be Thankful
Remember that you are a survivor of a traumatizing accident, not just a victim. You lived through it; you were given a second chance in life. Instead of looking at it as some curse, learn to embrace it. In a way, it has made you stronger. Enable it to let you appreciate life with a new and purer intensity. Revel in the little things. Keep a list of things that make you happy every day. Record your worries and joys in a diary. Celebrate small triumphs. You’ve gone this far, and you deserve it.
Healing may take time, some money, and a lot of energy, but you can view it as a blessing. You can turn it into advocacy and prevent others from suffering the way you have. Your pain can also help you connect to those who are suffering similarly, and so you can heal together. This is an excellent and sure way to improve – through communication. Practice gratitude, mindfulness, and connection. At the same time, when you find that you’re slipping again, allow yourself to feel. Your misery will pass. And you can continue your journey from there.