The textbook definition of “trauma” is: “psychological and emotional response to a deeply distressing or overwhelming event that significantly impacts a person’s life”. 

Trauma has multiple ways of presenting itself, but one of the most intimidating parts for many people is that you may not know you have trauma until your body is reacting to a trigger that you didn’t know you had. 

Recognizing if you have unresolved trauma can be tricky. But being able to pinpoint these things and being able to recognize that they are linked to this traumatic experience has the ability to speed up your healing process: 

There are many things to look out for that may mean that you have unresolved trauma to work through:

• Struggling with relationships (romantic or otherwise)
• Low self-esteem
• Anxiety or depression
• Flashbacks
• Chronic pain
• Stomach issues
• Trust issues
• Self harm
• Concentrating difficulties

The list could go on and on with mental and physical symptoms. 

Ways to start to figure out if you have unresolved trauma is to look at your day to day life and focus on how you, your thoughts or your physical reactions work. 

Things as simple as wearing your hair a certain way, smelling a smell, going to a place around town or even songs can be triggers that you don’t realize are triggers until you are reacting to them. For some, knowing what the reason behind the trauma response is easy. They can pinpoint why that situation or thing is bothering them, but for others it can be harder because of:

• Repressed memories: not remembering things that have or are causing you trauma is a coping mechanism. Whereby the incident happens and the trauma is so severe that you don’t remember it, or you only remember small pieces of it.
• This means as you move forward in life, you may have a trigger of unresolved trauma that you didn’t know existed. 
• Not being aware: If there is unresolved trauma, we may not know that a certain event or thing that has, or is happening, to us is actually causing trauma and is more impactful that we realize.
• Subtle trauma: When people think of trauma, they think of one or two big events that happen, when in reality, trauma can be caused by both big events and smaller ongoing events that can have the same level of impact without us realizing it. 

All of these things, and more, can be reasons you may not realize you have unresolved trauma. It is important to know yourself enough, or at least try to learn about yourself and what is triggering you, and get the help you need or want. 

There are many signs that you may be suffering from unresolved trauma, and as we talked about, trauma isn’t linear. There is not one singular way you can obtain trauma, let alone unresolved trauma. It can be caused by a big event or even the build of smaller events that you don’t realize are impacting you from day to day. 

Seeking help and beginning your healing process is key to getting over trauma or even pinpointing if you have trauma. If you ever think: “is this response due to trauma?” comes up fairly often for you, maybe that is your sign to go speak to someone, whether it be a family member, friend or a therapist. Writing down your experiences, thoughts or possible triggers may help, and those notes and writing could be shown to a therapist or a trusted person. Find what works for you and begin healing. Life is meant to be enjoyed and not just survived.