Trauma Response: Is it Exhaustion or the Beginning of Faith?

If you’ve been through a traumatic experience, you probably have also experienced the exhaustion that comes from the aftermath. Common trauma response symptoms include anxiety, depression, catastrophic thinking, anger, self-blame, hypervigilance, and dissociation, among others.

There comes a point when the burden gets too heavy, and you simply can’t carry it any longer. Some people view this “I just can’t do it anymore” pinnacle as a breaking point, but what if it is actually where your faith begins?

Common Trauma Response Symptoms

A person’s trauma response is experienced in various ways. Perhaps you’ve suffered through a prolonged illness, been a caregiver, gotten divorced, been laid off, or are/were the victim of abuse.

Your body and brain will take these trauma experiences and mull them over, and these significant events in your life will manifest in a variety of ways, depending on a lot of factors. This includes but is not limited to your personal history, the circumstances of the event, and your level of support.

No matter the trauma experience or the initial response, there’s no denying that going through a major life-altering event or taxing season will take its toll on you. Some people cycle through the stages of grief and their trauma response quickly, but for some, the weight of it all can drag them down for a long time.

When It’s Too Much

Dark response seasons can morph into your new normal. Your once trusting heart can suddenly become skeptical because of a betrayal. Your once carefree spirit might suddenly feel the weight of living within a tight budget, and as a result, can develop into a fear of homelessness or bankruptcy that can affect you even months, years, or decades after you’ve landed a new job and have found financial stability.

Trauma experiences change us. Sometimes for the worse, which are the effects that bother us the most and get the most attention. When something happens that not only changes our outlook but seems to rewrite our DNA, it is bound to get more attention than the joy of finding a new job or a compliment we receive.

These changes in our being can feel like protection. We might view our new conservative spending habits as being frugal or good stewards. We might find our caution in relationships as wisdom instead of a response to a toxic friendship. And sometimes we’re right. Sometimes trauma changes who we are and how we respond for the better, or at least not for the worse.

But sometimes, in the darkness of the night, as you struggle to find peace and quiet, even in the comfort of your bed, you can feel the weight of the trauma. Maybe you feel as if you’ve gotten over the original trauma, but those aftereffects, those changes in your thought patterns, or those new insecurities that have cropped up, can exhaust you.

In those moments, you might think to give up. You might just want it all to go away or to find a way to leave it all behind. You might long for that trusting, naïve version of yourself that was kidnapped and replaced with this new cynic. This new anxiety-ridden, socially awkward, and paralyzed shell may seem like an improved version of yourself, one that will protect itself with ten-foot-high brick walls and barbed wire.

But maybe, in those quiet, solitary, undistracted moments, you miss that confident person you used to be or the innocence that was stolen. And it is then that the trauma and consequences culminate and leave you confused, overwhelmed, and simply exhausted.

Is it exhaustion or faith?

Could it be both? When you finally reach your threshold, the pinnacle of the aftereffects, a new thing starts to happen. When you’re at your lowest, and you realize that you’ve hit rock bottom, something inside of you might start to change or emerge.

Amid those overwhelming feelings comes peace knowing you can’t fight anymore. Amidst the exhaustion comes the comforting thought that maybe the fight isn’t even worth it. And in those moments of sheer hopelessness comes the opportunity for faith.

The Bible says clearly, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28, NIV) This means that God can bring something meaningful, positive, or redemptive out of even the most painful experiences in your life, if you love Him and are called according to His plan.

God doesn’t waste our pain. Even in our deepest holes, darkest hours, and lowest valleys, God can transform those moments, and us, into something quite beautiful.

Surrender

If you really dissect what is going on, you might start to view your exhaustion and oppression as surrender, not the weakness that you’ve accused yourself of for so long. When you’re wringing your hands and listening to your heartbeat accelerate, maybe you’re finally ready to just give it over, everything, to God.

There is power in giving up your power. Releasing your illusion of control can afford you a great deal of freedom. Yes, you have free will, but as a Christ follower, you also have the vested interest of the Creator who not only can help you but wants to.

When you’ve come to the end of your strength, faith begins. In 2 Corinthians 12, we are given a glimpse into the Apostle Paul’s own suffering:

But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness so that Christ’s power may rest in me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weakness, in insult, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. – 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, NIV

Your exhaustion, overload, and feeling fed up don’t preclude you from God’s grace. In fact, it can be the place where His strength can shine its brightest. It’s the origin of your acknowledgement of your human condition. It is the beginning of you being able to say, “I give up and give it to you, God.” And it’s the start of something amazing.

When your burden becomes knee-buckling, you start to see that your wisdom is finite, your body human, and your reasoning flawed. But it’s also the place where you can more clearly see that God’s wisdom is infinite, His strength enduring, and His reasoning omnipotent.

A Little Help from a Friend

While God can do miraculous healing in the heart and change circumstances to your favor, even in ways you hadn’t thought of yet, He often works through people. In this mindset, Christian therapy can be viewed as a vessel of God’s providential care.

Talking with a skilled Christian therapist can help you identify your trauma and responses. It can give you the chance to dwell in the areas that might be too prickly to dwell in alone. A therapist can also guide you through healthy coping skills and help you reframe your thoughts through a biblical lens. They can walk with you as you process the pain in a safe and supportive environment.

Christian therapy isn’t necessarily meant to fix you instantly, but instead to direct you by helping you understand your story. More importantly, it encourages you to invite God into every messy, complicated chapter.

If you’re exhausted from the aftereffects of trauma, God may be telling you it’s time He steps in and begins to renew your mind. Lean on the power of the Almighty, loving, living God. Consider every hard feeling you have as an arrow, pointing you to the rest, trust, and healing that can only be found in the arms of your loving Father. Are you ready to move from exhaustion to faith? Contact our reception team to schedule an appointment with me or to learn more.