Why am I always on edge?
You've always laughed off your little "quirks" -- how you get easily startled by a loud noise or how it makes your skin crawl to have your back to the door when you're out with your family for dinner. But now, you're starting to realize just how different these things are for you than the people around you. Why don't these things bother other people the way that they do you? "Why am I always on edge?" (More below video!)
We've been talking a lot recently about what trauma really is, and how it can contribute to things like panic attacks, nightmares, and how it affects relationships. At Harper Therapy, we want to talk through the hard things that impact our lives that nobody talks about to help explain some of our experiences. So, as a reminder, our definition of trauma is any event that you have experienced that compromises your safety or well-being, or the safety or well-being of someone or something you love.
When you have survived these hard things in life, you are more likely to have panic attacks and possibly nightmares. You might find yourself more irritable or withdrawn in your relationships. Another thing that you might notice is that you're more "on edge" than you were before the event(s), or more jumpy than those around you are.
We call this "on edge" feeling hyper-vigilance. Because your brain's primary job is to keep you alive, your brain stores all "threat" information in your nervous system, which keeps your body in a perpetual state of "on guard". This makes you extra sensitive to sounds, smells, and even non-verbal expressions of those people around you so that you can quickly shift into "fight, flight, or freeze" responses if needed.
If any of this sounds like you, know that things like yoga, meditation, and physical activity help regulate the nervous system to calm this hyper-vigilance a bit. The greatest relief will come, however, by meeting with a professional to process the traumatic event(s) you've experienced to get at the "root" of these responses.
Our highly trained, highly skilled team includes Alina (top left), Yiara (top right), Chris (bottom right), and Yolanda. Call 813-434-3639 to schedule your trauma resolution appointment, or use the form below to schedule a free consultation.
