How Workplace Trauma Harmful to Mental Wellbeing

Meaning of Trauma 

Trauma can be stated as an individual’s emotional response to a negative event. A negative event can be a death of a loved one, accidents, headache, nausea, difficulties, issues in relationships with family members or partners,s, etc. The person finds the event stressful and trauma can cause various types of physical and emotional symptoms in an individual. Some people also develop PTSD as a result of trauma.

Types of trauma
1. Acute Trauma 
Acute Trauma is caused because of a single negative event.
2. Chronic Trauma
Chronic Trauma is caused when a person is exposed to a negative event or stimulus for a considerable amount of time. Ex- Bullying at school.
3. Complex Trauma
Complex Trauma is caused when a person is exposed to various types of negative events.

Causes of trauma

• Rape
• Childhood violence
• Injury
• Accidents
• Death of a loved one
• Victim of violence
• Racial Discrimination
• Caste, color, creed discrimination
• War
• Issues at work
• Bullying
• Domestic Abuse
• Natural Disasters 

Symptoms of trauma

• Emotional Trauma
  1. Denial of facts
  2. Angry Nature
  3. Irritated all the time
  4. Being sad always or most of the time
  5. Mood swings at any point in time
  6. Loss of interest in things that once were interesting
  7. Flashback of negative events in form of nightmares
  8. Feeling of hopelessness
  9. Feeling worthless

• Physical Trauma
  1. Lack of concentration
  2. Decrease in motivation
  3. Lack of confidence
  4. Always feeling lethargic
  5. Busy in their own imaginary world
  6. Body paleness
  7. Increase in heartbeat
  8. Anxiety or panic attacks
  9. Headaches
  10. Insomnia
  11. Hypersomnia

Ways to heal from a trauma

As there are various forms of trauma so the healing process can differ from one case to another.

• Therapy- Therapy is the first and foremost treatment that is being provided to a person who suffers from a traumatic event. The individual is being provided therapy sessions either from a psychologist who has expertise in trauma healing or by a trauma therapist.
• CBT- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has also been used as a way to deal with patients who are facing problems due to any traumatic event in their life. In this, the psychologist tries to change his/her client’s thought process in order to change his or her behavioral and emotional patterns.
• Medications – Medications do not cure a person but they help the person deal with the symptoms of trauma.
• Telephone Hotlines- There are various telephone hotline numbers that help people under severe stress, trauma or sexual assault victim, violence victim, etc.
• CPT- Cognitive Processing Therapy is a type of cognitive behavioral therapy in which the patients are taught how they can change their negative unhelpful beliefs related to trauma.
• Prolonged Exposure – Under this, a systematic exposure system is being used in which the individual is made exposed to the memories of the negative events which were else earlier avoided and are made to understand that the memories are not dangerous and do not need to be avoided.
• Eye Moment Decentisization and Reprocessing Therapy- In this, the individual is made to focus on the memories of the trauma with a bilateral stimulation in the eye movements which helps in reducing the vividness and emotions associated with the event.

Trauma-related to workplace

Workplace trauma is a result of negative events that happen to a person at the workplace. Workplace trauma interferes with the normal functioning of an employee at an organization.

Symptoms of workplace trauma

• Absenteeism of employees is increased.
• Employee job satisfaction is decreased.
• Conflicts in the organization are increased.
• Productivity of the employees is decreased.
• Employee no longer sees themselves as a part of the organization.
• Accidents rates increases.
• The motivation of the employees is decreased.
• The rate of raw materials wastage is increased.
• High anxiety, fear, fatigue, anger, unhappiness, and forgetfulness in the employees.

Ways to deal with workplace trauma

• Proper employee grievance handling procedures should be there.
• Promoting the importance of mental health in the organization.
• Looking for ways that can decrease the stress levels of employees.
• Providing an organizational environment that is positive and welcoming in nature.
• The higher leaders at an organization should be empathetic in nature.
• Talk with people and share your feelings
• Take some time off from your daily work schedule and spend some time with yourself and do mindfulness activities
• Figure out the cause of trauma and which direction you want to go.
• Do not rush and give yourself time to get over the trauma during the healing process.

Conclusion

Traumatic events can leave a wide range of problems for a person to suffer from throughout his/her life which can destroy the social, emotional, physical, and cognitive state of an individual. However, there are various ways that can help a person deal with trauma all it requires to find the right way to deal with it and there are various professionals that can help one for the same.