You may think differently than before about yourself and the world as you try to make sense of what happened. This is common. These new thoughts can be repetitive and intrude into everyday life or when you are trying to sleep. They can be hard to identify as they pass through your mind. If not managed properly, these thoughts can interfere with your problem-solving and ability to find ways to move forward in your recovery.
Check out this animation on how a mass violence event can change how the mind works.
Click on a thought for ideas on how to manage it.
Experiencing a violent event can cause the mind to become overly active. It may be difficult to think clearly and manage emotions. Learning to clear your mind can help you regain focus.
Simple slow breathing and a focus on the here and now begin to clear away thoughts of the past and future. Mindfulness of colors, sounds and sensations brings you back into the present and gives you a break from stressful thoughts.
A few minutes a day will improve your ability to clear your mind. At first the mind will continue to wander. Stick with it. Just notice the thoughts coming and going.
After you wake up or before bed are good times to practice. Do the exercise anytime during the day whenever you feel stressed.
The audio recordings below from Headspace can help you clear your mind. Try them all!
Walk to clear your mind
Take a Break
Relax and Unwind
Learn to notice and recognize unhelpful thoughts and look for more positive thoughts. Write down upsetting thoughts and come up with another way to think about the issue. To learn more about how to Manage Stressful Thoughts.
Getting involved in an activity that focuses your full attention can help let go of stressful thoughts. This could be sports, cooking, playing music, making art, helping others or any other activity that is part of your life.
Another way to deal with difficult thoughts is to not engage them at all. Most stressful thoughts have to do with what happened in the past or what might happen in the future. Instead of letting those thoughts fill your mind, turn your attention and awareness to wherever you are in the present moment. This is called Mindfulness. This may be as simple as taking a few long breaths or as long as following a 30 minute audiotape. You can become more skilled at turning your mind away with daily meditation practice of 10 or 20 minutes.
Learning to notice and recognize thoughts for what they are – just your thoughts – is a form of mindfulness as well. It can be helpful to notice your thoughts as separate from who you are as a person and watch them come and go without necessarily responding to them. Consider visualizing your thoughts written on a cloud and watch the cloud float by or visualizing your thoughts as credits on a movie screen moving up and away from your view. Notice your thoughts come and notice them go. This can take practice.
For more specifics on see Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness
Physical relaxation and slow breathing also tend to calm the mind. As your body and breath slow down, your mind gradually becomes more relaxed as well. Listen to Relax Your Body and Breathe to Relax to learn more about calming the mind by calming the body.
Male Voice
Female Voice
Find information on Trauma-Informed Mindfulness and Meditation here.