Home invasions leave you disturbed and may lead to emotional trauma. Everything around you seems like a threat for a while. If you’re a victim of burglary, the event leaves you with the following:
- Denial: It is hard to believe what has just happened. Burglaries are so unexpected and unpredictable that you wish they were a dream.
- Anger: it is normal to feel angry after a burglary. You feel an urge to pursue the burglar and do whatever to them.
- Fear: once an event like this happens, you build up fear, and any slight unusual happening triggers it.
- Sadness: after accepting that you’re a victim of a burglary, sadness strikes you, especially when you’ve lost high-value items.
This article discusses the aftermath of burglary and how to cope with the emotional trauma left behind.
2 Common Symptoms of Emotional Trauma After a Burglary
Burglary can leave you feeling exposed, with heightened anxiety, anger, shock, and other emotional imbalances. The common symptoms of emotional trauma after a burglary, include:
Stress-related Symptoms
After a burglary, you imagine the suspects may return and rob your items again. You become paranoid more than ever after such an occurrence. These stress levels lead to symptoms of emotional trauma and unexplained health conditions.
Anger and Shock
You get angry and shocked after losing your items. You become angry at yourself for making some decisions that you probably didn’t know could lead you to such a position.
If you’re a victim of burglary, here are ways to overcome the emotional trauma that comes after a burglary.
Coping With The Emotional Trauma of Burglary
You cannot get rid of emotional trauma instantly. The healing process is gradual and needs external support when things get tough. Here are a few ways you can cope with emotional trauma after a burglary:
Talk to Someone
Keeping to yourself when you’re not emotionally okay is a bad thing for you. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and other side effects are not always obvious. You can reach out to your family and friends. You can also seek professional assistance from counselors and therapists. Sharing information will help you ease the burden on yourself.
Carry on With Life
Get back to your normal life as immediately as possible. Maintaining your normal routine after a traumatic event is crucial to recovery. Nonetheless, if you need some break to deal with the situation, do so.
Don’t Blame Yourself
After a burglary, you will blame your actions. It’s natural to blame yourself, but don’t let that control you. Keep yourself occupied and surround yourself with people that will help you through the stress.
Clean Up
Burglars often leave your house in a messy condition. You’ll find things thrown all over damaged walls, doors, windows, and other property.
Clean up the house after a burglary as soon as you can. Some victims find this fruitful as they try to restore their houses. Other people rearrange their items, repaint their walls, and make other aesthetic changes to their homes.
Cleaning up helps you start on a new level and keeps you going as you try to get your life back to normal.
Conclusion
Trying to deal with burglary is a continuous process. As a result, it’s important to be gentle with yourself and understand all of your emotions. But we all require assistance and support from time to time.
