Hypervigilance and nervous energy are very common in the post-trauma state. After we’ve learned to stay alert and on our toes for so long, it’s difficult to re-learn how to relax. Trauma tends to cause the body to remain in a constant state of fight or flight, a natural adrenaline rush, so we’re prepared for the next blow.
This nervous energy can feel all-consuming and can affect many areas of our lives, including our interactions with others and our environment. It is a negative energy of sorts. Being constantly over-anxious tends to cause others to react with anxiousness and, because of this, a sufferer may find themselves alone. If others feel uncomfortable in an individual’s presence, they typically avoid interacting with that person. So, this energy can naturally push others away.
It may also cause us to second-guess ourselves in everything we do, including decisions in the workplace, at school, or in other situations in which we are required to rely on our own knowledge and intuition to make important decisions. And, continually second-guessing ourselves leads to stagnation and feelings of being imprisoned by worry.
Abusers prey on us by instilling negative energy in us until it becomes second nature to be overly anxious and unable to trust our own instincts. Then, they use this hypervigilance against us in situations like custody battles and in interactions with mutual acquaintances, telling others we are crazy and unlovable. They continue to gaslight victims well after an individual has broken free and attempted to move on. This is a primary way to not only induce control but to maintain it indefinitely, so long as the victim allows.
Stop allowing it…
We must learn to eliminate hypervigilance, paranoia, pain, and high anxiety from our lives, so our bodies will once again understand how to relax. Staying in this state for a prolonged period of time can cause significant health issues including heart problems and other stress-related ailments on top of the mental chaos it creates. What is perhaps difficult to understand for anyone who has not been through life-changing trauma is that this heightened state causes physical changes to our brain chemistry. Thus, it is not easy to switch it off and simply go back to the way we acted, thought, or felt prior.
It is healthy for the fight or flight response to kick in, every once in a while, in situations that warrant it. But, we have to balance this energy with that which is calm, collected, and content. Practicing cognitive behavioral techniques and those associated with acceptance and commitment therapy can help ease our minds and release nervous energy. Mindful thinking can allow us to understand why, in the present moment, we’re feeling this way, so we can do something about it. By making a commitment to ourselves to restore balance, we will actively be able to release ourselves from the clutches of trauma and finally move forward in peace.