Returning to Work after Trauma Leave

If you're returning to work after a trauma leave, self-care is essential.

If you have been on leave from work because you were unable to work after a traumatic incident, you are not alone. It can be challenging to return to work after trauma leave, especially if you are involved in an ongoing investigation or lawsuit. Many people I work with have been involved in traumatic situations like harassment, bullying, automobile accidents, sexual assault, or physical violence. This post explains what to expect when you return to work and how you can cope effectively with this difficult time.

Recognize that your capacity to perform may have changed due to the traumatic event

You might experience some anxiety about returning to work and worry that you might not be able to perform. This is completely natural, and you may have to be more forgiving of yourself when you return to work after trauma leave. Your emotional load may be larger than usual, because of your post-traumatic stress. You might find yourself more likely to cry, get irritated, or have sensory overstimulation.

Hopefully, your nervous system has had a chance to repair on your leave. However, not everyone has the luxury of all the time they need to recuperate. You might find yourself feeling more anxious or emotionally reactive to things that didn't bother you before. You might also notice that reminders of the traumatic incident are harder to cope with than before.

It is not unusual to feel loneliness, grief, self-consciousness, or emotionally numb and distant from others. If you have had therapy while you were on trauma leave, try to remember the skills that you have learned so that you can use them on the job if needed. If you did not receive psychotherapy or psychiatric medication while on leave, now would be a good time to get some extra support.

Adjust your expectations of yourself and others

Because your nervous system has been altered by the traumatic event, your processing speed and accuracy might be different from before. You might make mistakes and become more easily flustered or frustrated. It might be harder to deal with interpersonal conflict on the job, and angry customers or coworkers might be more disturbing to you than they were previously.

Other people with whom you work might not know what happened and may reach out to you outside the bounds of work. For some people, this is comforting, while for others, it is disturbing and unwanted.

You get to decide how it feels to you and whether you want to explain to others why you're gone, period. It is natural to be curious about an absent coworker or supervisee, but it is also important for coworkers and supervisors to respect a person's boundaries and give them a chance to heal emotionally.

It's possible to maintain your boundaries and still have a friendly, productive relationship with your coworkers.

If you're returning to work after trauma leave, have some self-care strategies in your pocket

This is a crucial time to have self-compassion and patience with yourself. It is also a good time to beef up your nutrition, rest, and get a reasonable amount of exercise.

These are just some of the self-care strategies you can employ when returning to work. Additionally, you need a way to protect yourself from unwanted intrusions into your personal business. Well-meaning coworkers or supervisors might ask you very personal questions about why you were on leave.

It is important to remember that you do not have to tell them what happened to you or give them detailed answers about how you're coping. Even your supervisor and bosses only need to know the information needed to provide reasonable accommodations, if necessary.

If you overshare, you run the risk of being targeted for harassment or being object of gossip. Sometimes you might feel social pressure to be an open book, but you can politely let people know that you are taking care of yourself and you will do everything you can to be a team player. Be on that, you don't have to answer any questions that make you uncomfortable; you owe people nothing more than a cursory explanation, if that.

Your nervous system and boundaries need protection

As mentioned, post-traumatic stress can make you feel irritable, anxious, and emotionally dysregulated. It is important to have some tools for your body as well as your mind when returning. Body-mind therapies such as Somatic Stress Release and hypnotherapy can be useful tools for taking care of yourself.

You can know the right things to think or say in stressful situations, but if you have trouble protecting yourself, energetically or physically, this information can go out the window the moment you get stressed. It can be helpful to have somatic tools at your disposal that help you maintain healthy boundaries, stay within the window of tolerance emotionally, and feel less anxious and upset in your nervous system.

If you're concerned about returning to work after trauma leave, please reach out for help

You don't have to face this challenging time by yourself. I can provide you with tools to help you release the traumatic stress and learn how to cope more resiliently at work. If you're interested, please call me or click the button below.

Contact