10 Ways To Heal From Workplace Trauma

If you’ve ever had to heal from workplace trauma, you would know it’s certainly one of the worst things any human can experience.

This kind of trauma usually leaves a mark on your personal life as well.

Workplace trauma can lead to psychological, emotional, and mental instability.

It can take one from a 10 to a 0 in a short period.

And the worst part is it’s so easy to sweep under the rug any traces of abuse or discrimination in the workplace.

Or explain away the situation.

So if you developed the courage to leave a toxic job, congratulations!

You’ve taken the first step towards recovery, here are 10 other ways to heal from workplace trauma.

Can a Job Cause Emotional Trauma?

A job can absolutely cause emotional trauma. Workplace trauma can be caused by a number of factors including a toxic workplace culture, discrimination, and workplace bullying.

This can lead to work PTSD which could require support from a specialist.

How To Heal From Workplace Trauma

1. Don’t Self-blame

One common trauma response is self-blaming.

When you leave a toxic job you may find yourself wishing you had done things differently.

Maybe you wished you had spoken up more, been more agreeable, or put in more effort.

Don’t do that. Don’t beat yourself up for situations that were out of your control.

In most situations, people who suffer from workplace trauma had no fault in their maltreatment.

Whatever regrets and wishes you have concerning your previous job, take them as lessons.

Lessons that will help you make better decisions in your next job.

2. Get the Right Kind Of Support

Having a support system can help you heal from workplace trauma.

But it is more crucial to have the right type of support system.

By the right type of support system I mean, surrounding yourself with people who have had a similar experience.

People with whom you have a shared experience are in a better place to guide your recovery journey.

Because they’ve lived and worked through what you are now going through.

This shared experience could be based on race, gender, or sexual orientation.

3. Let Go

It’s only natural to be resentful or harbor some vengeful thoughts towards people who made you unhappy in your previous job.

And letting go of these feelings might be difficult especially when you never got an apology or even a little show of remorse.

But to fully heal from workplace trauma you must leave those feelings behind.

You have to come to terms that you may never get retribution for what was done to you.

And as unfair as it may seem, you don’t need it to move on.

4. Prepare Ahead

In the process of recovery, you must be alert to any triggers in your new workplace.

You should be prepared to deal with any behavior or treatment similar to what you’ve experienced.

This way, you can better deal with it and nip it in the bud.

It’s important to guard yourself against any situation that’ll take you back to where you’re coming from.

So if you notice triggers like; feeling sad, helpless, and anxious, try to identify where they’re stemming from and address them.

It’s important to not also project your previous experience into your new job, even when you’re feeling overwhelmed and scared.

5. Give Yourself Time

Dealing with any form of trauma takes time and that includes workplace trauma.

Don’t expect yourself to be healed in a couple of days or even weeks.

Understand that healing takes time for it to be done properly.

And no it doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you, even if it took less time for others to recover.

People are different and the best place to do anything is your own.

6. Seek Professional Help

Don’t hesitate to seek any form of help you think you need to recover.

Sometimes if you can’t find the right type of support system, seeing a qualified therapist may be the next step.

7. Decide What You Wanna Do

While recovering it’s normal too much, it can be easy to make rash and unhealthy decisions.

This is why you must first settle down and ask yourself, “What should I do,”, “What’s the most important thing for me at this moment?”

This will help you decide if you need therapy, some time away, or a different support group.

8. Recenter Your Life

If you’ve had everything figured out, your balance is sure to be thrown off by workplace trauma.

As it can emotionally destabilize you and ruin the plan you may currently have for yourself.

This is why as you work to recover from workplace trauma you may want to re-evaluate a few things – what’s your purpose?

How can you discover your life’s purpose?

Are you living according to it?

Do I want to continue on this career path?

9. Revel In The Happy Moments

As a trauma response, your brain becomes extra cautious and anxious.

You find yourself always searching for potential danger even in a new, safer environment.

To effectively work through this and rewire your brain, it is important to not let life pass by.

Make a conscious effort to bask in the little moments that make your heart beat with joy.

To help you really enjoy every happy moment, sometimes consider writing it down.

Journaling is a great way to savor positive moments.

Writing down moments you are grateful for, and why you’re grateful for them is an amazing way to commit those moments to memory.

Also trying to have a positive mindset would help rewire your brain.

Start your day thinking positively and envisioning only good and positive energy for yourself.

Doing this releases feel-good hormones like dopamine, which do exactly what they are called – make you feel good.

10. Acceptance

What happened to you wasn’t fair, you didn’t deserve it and it’s just the way the work system is designed – to feed off everyone in it.

Accepting this is a key step in healing.

You will move on from this situation eventually and things will get better.

Accept the past for what it is and look forward to the future.

Recovering From Workplace Trauma

Picking up the pieces and starting over after dealing with workplace trauma is an easy thing but it’s certainly achievable.

All you have to do is take a deep breath, let go of all self-blame, and resentment and surround yourself with the right people.

Before you know it, the trauma will only be a memory and you can move on to better opportunities.

To help you perform and have an overall better experience at your new job, the NetWerk community is here to provide you with the resources you need for free at our career center.