How have you been feeling since the incident?
- I keep having flashbacks and scary dreams about it.
- I keep feeling jumpy and nervous and sometimes angry.
- I just feel empty and numb, like I can’t feel anything at all.
- I keep looking out for danger, like I’m worried something bad is coming.
- If something reminds me of the incident my heart beats really fast and I feel sick.
All these feelings and reactions are completely normal. You might also be feeling poorly, with random aches and pains, isolated or confused. Maybe you’ve lost interest in fun activities that you used to enjoy.
Lots of people can also feel very low and depressed, and might even have thoughts about suicide or self-harming. All of these feelings and thoughts are normal too for someone who has been in a major incident.
You might find that you want to talk about how you feel. Sometimes you might feel that you don’t want to, but that memories of it pop into your mind anyway.
Can you think of any other reactions or feelings that young people might have who have been through a similar experience? You can draw or write these down.
