Post 2. When the World Keeps Moving, but Your Life Has Changed
- Dr. Meghan Clifford
- Sep 1
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 25
In the days after a traumatic event, many people feel like their world has split in two.
On one side is everyone else—neighbors driving to work, kids riding bikes, people grocery shopping—life carrying on as if nothing happened.
On the other side is you and your family, trying to make sense of a day that changed everything.
This gap can feel jarring and deeply isolating.
The Emotional Whiplash of “Normal” Life
You may catch yourself thinking:
“When am I supposed to go back to work? Next week? Next month? Never? What do I even say to my boss?”
“How can my coworkers talk about projects when I can barely breathe?”
“How can I send my child back to school when just days ago I wasn’t sure I’d ever see them again?”
"How am I suppose to respond when the grocery store checkout-clerk asks how I'm doing?"
These questions aren’t small. They reflect how trauma throws off your sense of safety, rhythm, and what matters most. Even simple tasks—like answering emails, choosing dinner, or putting gas in the car—may suddenly feel impossible or meaningless.
It makes sense if you feel confused, out of step, or resentful that life outside your home seems unchanged while yours feels permanently altered.
Why This Happens
There’s many reasons why this happens. One piece of the puzzle is that trauma interrupts your brain’s ability to orient to everyday life (remember from my first post, the time-keeper went offline to keep you alive and able to respond immediately).
While the world rushes forward, your brain may still be stuck in survival mode—fight, flight, freeze, or fall (stay tuned for another post coming soon about what this means).
The mismatch between your internal reality and the external world is part of what makes post-traumatic event adjustment so painful.
One Gentle Step You Can Try Today
Permission Giving.
Try giving yourself permission to take right now moment by moment:
Place a hand on your chest, cheek, lap, or somewhere else
Say to yourself:
“I only need to decide the next thing, not the whole thing.”
Write down your permission slip. Find a sticky note, sheet or paper, or receipt that's sitting on your counter.
Bonus:
Choose one small step you can take today (e.g., drinking a glass of water, eating a snack, sending one email, making one call, or getting out of bed to use the bathroom.
This mantra can remind you that you don’t have to figure out work, school, and the future all at once. You only need to take the next step.
You are not behind. You are not doing it wrong. Recovering from trauma doesn’t follow a calendar or a work schedule. If you’re moving one breath, one moment, one step at a time—you are doing enough (I know, I know, part of you is cringing at this sentence).
Financial Resources to Support Your Ability to Give Yourself this Permission Today and hopefully in the coming days:
Eligibility Criteria:
A person who suffered a physical or emotional injury as a result of a crime.
Immediate family member (spouse/domestic partner, parents, children, grandparents, siblings) of a victim.
A person who witnessed a violent crime or discovered the body of a homicide victim.
You can also follow along on instagram for a matching daily post.
With Great Care,
Dr. Meghan & Scout
Please note: The information shared in this blog is for educational and supportive purposes only. It does not establish a therapeutic relationship and is not a substitute for professional mental health care.
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