After the Crash: Finding Meaning in Moments of Pain and Healing
As the dust starts to settle after your car accident, it may continue to play on a continuous loop in your head. You may still be in the hospital or you may finally be home on the long road to recovery from your painful physical injuries. All the while, the mental impacts threaten any chance you have for peace as this terrifying ordeal summons these scenes again and again.
How do you even begin to find meaning in those moments of pain and healing? It first requires understanding car crash trauma and seeking the right treatments to help you move forward.
What Is Car Accident Trauma?
It is normal for anyone to feel a bit shaken up after an accident, though car accident trauma goes beyond that with a much stronger psychological response, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), that takes over every facet of your life.
You may experience flashbacks or have intrusive thoughts about what happened, nightmares, heightened startle response, or anxiety when you’re in a car. Many car accident victims also experience avoidance of driving due to fears that make them too terrified to either get behind the wheel or even ride as a passenger.
While it is normal to experience some of these reactions right after a car accident, if they continue for several weeks or months or interfere with your daily life in such a way that you can’t think of anything else, you will need to seek help.
What Can You Do to Recover from the Psychological Trauma of a Car Accident?
Much like you sought medical attention for your physical injuries, the first step in recovering from psychological trauma after a car crash is to get professional treatment. You can also use self-help strategies and work to rebuild your confidence. Here is a look at the steps to take to help you find meaning again:
Seek Professional Treatment
Victims in serious car accidents are often traumatized by the events that unfolded, whether they have severe injuries or not. However, those with permanent impacts such as disfigurement, amputations, or paralysis may struggle to cope with their new normal.
Professional treatment for the mental impacts you experience is an important step in moving forward and finding meaning in life again. Your therapist may recommend cognitive behavioral therapy to help identify and address negative thought patterns, exposure therapy to help you face your fears, medications, support groups, or a variety of other options.
The road to recovery can be complex, and you may need to try a combination of therapies to discover the most helpful way forward.
Work on Self-Help Strategies
In conjunction with professional help, there are things you can do to help feel better and overcome the physical pain and suffering you experience. Mindfulness and meditation techniques can be incredibly beneficial to help you stay in the present. Journaling is another way to find the lost meaning in your life.
It can not only help you process your trauma but also serve to help prove that you have suffered non-economic damages as a result of the crash, which can help your car accident claim.
If your doctors recommend it, get a little exercise to boost your mood and reduce your stress. Creating a structured routine, for exercise or simply for daily life, can help you restore control. Many victims in car accidents feel like their lives have gone off the rails and that they can’t control anything, though a routine with actionable goals you can accomplish will go a long way in helping you take back the reins.
Regaining your confidence after a car crash is a crucial step in your recovery journey. Here are some strategies to help you overcome fear and get back on the road:
Rebuild Your Confidence
You may be afraid to get in a car, much less get behind the wheel. It is vital to work on rebuilding your confidence to get past this trauma. Sign up for defensive driving courses, which can help you feel more in control when you’re in the driver’s seat. Some courses offer simulator training that makes it easier to practice while staying completely safe, which may be an excellent first step.
You’ll also want to address the specific triggers that cause you anxiety. For some, it may be driving on the highway while for others, it may be driving at night. Your therapist can help you pinpoint your triggers and face them.
Additionally, it’s crucial to build your support network with friends and family. When you surround yourself with the people who care most about you, it will be easier to find meaning, no matter how much this accident has changed your life.
Seek Justice
When you’re in an accident that someone else caused, leaving you to sustain physical injuries and the burden of mental, emotional, and financial impacts, you can seek justice under personal injury law.
In Alabama, many car accident victims seek support from compassionate car accident lawyers at Mezrano. Attorneys who represent car accident victims in the state know about the hurdles imposed by the law and work to seek fair compensation on their behalf.
Alabama is an at-fault state, which means the driver who caused the crash will be held liable. However, with the contributory negligence rule, you can’t have any fault or you will be barred from collecting compensation. This rule is one that insurance companies often use to unfairly blame victims who have sustained major injuries resulting in major medical bills and other losses, all for the sake of protecting their profits.
You shouldn’t be stuck paying for your medical bills, floundering in financial loss due to being unable to work, or having all these added worries on top of trying to recover. You deserve to find meaning, peace, and joy again in your life. When someone else robs you of the enjoyment of things you loved doing that is now impossible because of your injuries, let an attorney hold them accountable and get the money you deserve.
