Coping with your feelings.
There is no set path to recovery – everyone’s experience is different. Give yourself time and remember that you are entitled to your feelings – whatever they may be. It is very common for people who have suffered a trauma to experience many of the following:
Acknowledging these feelings and allowing yourself to feel them can be a positive step towards recovery. If you feel able to it is often helpful to discuss how you feel with a friend or family member, or you may find it easier to talk to someone who is not so close to you such as someone from the Samaritans or Rape Crisis.
If these feelings persist for more than a few weeks or you feel overwhelmed by them then you could see your GP about counselling or other help.
One last thing: What has happened to you is NOT your fault. Nobody deserves to be sexually assaulted no matter what the circumstances.
- Guilt
- Anxiety
- Anger
- Depression
- Fear of intimacy
- Changes in eating habits
- Insomnia
- Flashbacks
- Repetitive behaviour – e.g. washing
Acknowledging these feelings and allowing yourself to feel them can be a positive step towards recovery. If you feel able to it is often helpful to discuss how you feel with a friend or family member, or you may find it easier to talk to someone who is not so close to you such as someone from the Samaritans or Rape Crisis.
If these feelings persist for more than a few weeks or you feel overwhelmed by them then you could see your GP about counselling or other help.
One last thing: What has happened to you is NOT your fault. Nobody deserves to be sexually assaulted no matter what the circumstances.