If you’ve experienced trauma, you may have experienced a wide range of symptoms, including exhaustion. It’s possible to release trauma and restore your energy with gentle practices you can do in the comfort of your own home. I welcome you to join me in this post as we explore the reason you’re tired after trauma, and five holistic practices that support deep, gentle rest.
Why You’re Tired After Trauma
I welcome you to send yourself grace and acknowledge that while your symptoms may frustrate you, they’re your body’s way of protecting you. Trauma might make you remain in a state of survival, and while your body simply wants to protect you, there are long-term effects. If you remain in a state of hyperarousal, you’ll constantly feel alert, easily startled, and experience anxiety. You can only remain in this state for so long before your body needs a break – making you tired and unrested.
Many people after trauma develop PTSD, also known as post traumatic stress disorder. According to the ADAA (Anxiety and Depression Association of America), sleeping issues and nightmares are two symptoms you might experience. This can also contribute to why you may have trouble sleeping, or not sleep deeply – leading to extra cups of coffee in the morning.
I welcome you to reach out to mental health professionals for more information and a proper diagnosis and treatment for PTSD.
Why Rest Alone Isn’t Enough
It may seem like the best way to rest is to sleep more or relax on the couch. While self-care and taking breaks are important for your physical and emotional wellbeing, you may be confused when you’re still exhausted.
After traumatic experiences, your nervous system continues to remain in overdrive (even during rest). You need to complete the stress response and signal to your body that you’re safe and ready to fully relax. This is when you’ll be able to release trauma from your body and finally have the deeply rested, relaxed feeling.
Holistic practices, like trauma-informed yoga, soothe your nervous system to gently bring you back into the present and create a container for emotions to process without completely overwhelming you. One of the best parts about holistic practices, like yoga, is that you don’t need to relive or retell your experience to release trauma.
I welcome you to explore support options for your most well-rounded care plan to support your recovery process after a traumatic experience.
Related Post: How To Rest Deeply For Ultimate Body Relaxation
How Trauma-Informed Yoga Gives You Your Energy back
Trauma-informed yoga is a compassionate, body-based practice catered to the lived experiences of trauma survivors. Here are a few key elements:
- Creates safety in your environment and body: Safety is the most important piece of a trauma-informed yoga practice. Once you arrive in a state of safety, you can release trauma and naturally rebuild your energy levels.
- Gentle movement for soothing your nervous system: While trauma-informed yoga is a way of teaching (instead of a style like hatha or yin), most classes focus on slow, intuitive classes so you create a space that naturally eases your overactive nervous system.
- Breathwork for calming your body and mind: Specific breathwork exercises nurture your nervous system, and trauma-informed yoga only includes practices that are supportive of healing. This means there are no practices that ask you to hold or constrict your breath.
Trauma-informed yoga goes a step beyond your traditional yoga class, because the focus is entirely on your own experience and reconnecting you with your body and breath. It caters to all experience levels and creates predictability in classes so you focus more on your internal experience.
I welcome you to learn more about trauma-informed yoga in this blog post.
5 Holistic Practices For Healing Fatigue After Trauma
If you’re feeling tired after trauma, these five practices gently release tension, regulate your nervous system, and restore your energy.
1. Trauma-Informed Yoga Poses
These poses are perfect starting points that create internal awareness and promote a calm nervous system.
- Child’s Pose
- Reclined Butterfly Pose
- Legs-Up-The-Wall Pose
2. Body Scans
A body scan is a mindfulness practice that allows you to tune into where you’re holding tension. To do this, you slowly scan your body from head to toe (or reverse), noting any areas of tension and using your breath if you’re comfortable to soften and release. I welcome you to explore the body scan meditation below to soften and release tension.
3. Resourcing Exercises
Grounding practices allow you to come into the present during activating moments, or to return to your practice if you became distracted. You can do the following exercise anytime, during practice, or during your day.
Below is a simple technique to bring awareness to your five senses. If you like, I welcome you to name:
- 5 things you can see
- 4 things you can touch
- 3 things you can hear
- 2 things you can smell
- 1 thing you can taste
I welcome you to adjust this as you like to suit you and your preferences.
4. Journaling
Writing is a supportive addition to any yoga practice and to process emotions. Below are two examples I welcome you to explore:
- Is there anything my body is asking for today?
- What emotions am I holding onto that I might explore releasing?
There are no right or wrong answers, and it’s normal for your journaling session to change directions. Whatever comes into your mind is always the best path to explore when journaling. I welcome you to explore the blog post below for more journaling inspiration.
Related Post: 5 Somatic Journal Prompts For Trauma Healing
5. Gentle Breathwork
Your breath is how you notice your current state. When we’re anxious, our breath becomes shallow and fast. When we’re relaxed, we have longer, slower breaths. Yoga has used this knowledge to create different pranayama (breathwork) practices so you can use your breath to either energize, soothe, or balance.
A simple way to include breathwork in your practices is by elongating your exhales. If it feels comfortable for you, allowing your exhale to be longer than your inhale will create more softness and relaxation in your poses, especially inversions like legs-up-the-wall pose. If you would like to explore more breathwork, I invite you to read this blog post for three exercises to support trauma release.
Overview
Feeling tired is a natural response to traumatic events, so I invite you to go easy on yourself and know that it takes time for your body to fully rest after being on guard for so long. Our journeys are often nonlinear, and it’s okay to have setbacks, step away from your practice, and come back when you’re ready.
Thank you for joining me in this post, and I welcome you to join me below for trauma-informed yoga classes designed for sexual trauma healing. This private library is free to explore and honors the unique symptoms many sexual trauma survivors experience – including exhaustion, anxiety, and depression. I’d be honored to join you inside!
