There are many ways to restore lifestyle balance, and keeping track of and making progress with as many of the following changes is a good way to regain balance after having been exposed to or witnessed cumulative traumatic experiences:

Physical Self-Care

• Eat regularly (e.g. breakfast, lunch, dinner)
• Eat healthily
• Exercise
• Get regular medical care for prevention
• Get regular medical care when needed
• Take time off when sick
• Get massages
• Dance, swim, walk, run, play sports, sing, or do some other physical activity that is fun
• Take time to be sexual--with yourself, with a partner
• Get enough sleep
• Wear clothes you like
• Take vacations
• Take day trips or mini-vacations
• Make time away from telephones

• Make time for self-reflection
• Have your own personal psychotherapy
• Write in a journal
• Read literature that is unrelated to work
• Do something at which you are not expert or in charge
• Decrease stress in your life
• Notice your inner experiences -- listen to your thoughts, judgments, beliefs, attitudes, and feelings
• Let others know different aspects of you
• Engage your intelligence in a new area, e.g., go to an art museum, history exhibit, sports event, auction, theater performance
• Practice receiving from others
• 0. Be curious
• 0. Say no to extra responsibilities sometimes

• Spend time with others whose company you enjoy
• Stay in contact with important people in your life
• Give yourself affirmations, praise yourself
• Find ways to increase your sense of self-esteem
• Reread favorite books, re-view favorite movies
• Identify comforting activities, objects, people, relationships, places, and seek them out
• Allow yourself to cry
• Find things to make you laugh
• Express your outrage in social action, letters, donations, marches, protests
• Play with children
• Spiritual Self-Care
• Make time for reflection
• Spend time with nature
• Find a spiritual connection or community
• Be open to inspiration
• Cherish your optimism and hope
• Be aware of nonmaterial aspects of life
• Try at times not to be in charge or the expert
• Be open to not knowing
• Identify what is meaningful to you and notice its place in your life
• Meditate
• Pray
• Sing
• Spend time with children
• Have experiences of awe
• Contribute to causes in which you believe
• Read inspirational literature (talks, music, etc.)

• Several studies have pointed out that following a terroristic event such as the Oklahoma City bombing, many of those in closest proximity to the disaster do not believe that they need help and will not seek out services, despite reporting significant emotional distress 3 . Sprang lists several potential reasons for this:
• Some people may feel that they are better off than those more affected and that they, therefore, should not be so upset.
• Some may not seek help because of pride or because they think that distress indicates weakness of some sort.
• Some individuals may not define services they receive as mental-health intervention, especially if such intervention is unsolicited (e.g., lectures, sermons, discussions, community rituals). Indeed, because the goal of many disaster mental-health workers is to have interventions be a seamless, integrated part of an overall disaster effort, those who receive these services may not recognize them as mental-health interventions.
• Many individuals are more apt to seek informal support from family and friends, which may not be sufficient to prevent long-term distress for some.
• It is critical to address this hesitance about seeking help given that a large portion of the individuals who were directly exposed to the Oklahoma City bomb blast continued to have active postdisaster psychiatric symptoms six months after the bombing. (PTSD was the most common disorder, and major depression was the second most common disorder 4 ).
• There may be times when self-help strategies are not effective in reducing the effects of exposure to traumatic stress. Research has shown that exposure to trauma may result in a change in brain chemistry and function. Research has also shown that the use of antidepressant or other medication reduces both PTSD and depressive symptoms in individuals who are unable to use behavioral techniques to manage their symptoms. Individuals have also experienced partial or full relief from posttraumatic stress symptoms when using certain types of cognitive-behavioral treatment. As stated above, it is recommended that you seek assistance from your medical doctor or from a mental-health professional who is skilled in the treatment of trauma if:
• You are experiencing any symptoms that are causing distress, are causing significant changes in relationships, or are impairing functioning at work
• You are self-medicating with alcohol or drugs
• You are unable to find relief with the strategies listed above
• Coping with PTSD symptoms and the problems they cause is usually a continuing challenge for survivors of trauma. As stated above, those who are able to convert traumas into growth experiences are often able to do so through sudden insight or revelation. For those who develop PTSD, however, recovery is an ongoing, daily, gradual process. It doesn't happen through sudden insight and there isn't a quick cure. Healing doesn't mean that a survivor will forget the trauma experiences or have no emotional pain when remembering them. Some level of continuing reaction to memories is natural and reflects a normal body and mind. Healing may mean that reactions will occur less often and be less intense. Healing also means having a greater ability to manage trauma-related emotions and having greater confidence in one's ability to cope.
• When a trauma survivor takes direct action to cope with problems, he or she often gains a greater sense of personal power and control. Active coping means recognizing and accepting the impact of a traumatic experience and then taking concrete action to improve things.