Visiting Past Traumas

My alma mater honored my former team for athletic achievements we accomplished back when we were in college. While this sounds like an event that should be praised, it was daunting for me being in a place that made me revisit past traumas. I mean honestly who in their right mind really likes reunions?

To get through the eventful weekend, I put some things together to help me cope with revisiting past traumas:

1. Choose your plan. The weekend was full of events, so I chose to only do things I was comfortable with. I attended events that were in more public places to mingle with crowds not necessarily associated with my event.
2. Anticipate scenarios. Identify what is the most traumatic thing(s) that may happen in your plan and prepare yourself with the best ways to excuse yourself or confront them.
3. Add distractions. I found things in the city to plug into my itinerary. Networking and sightseeing were at the top of my list. Be careful not to add time sensitives things to your plate because that may induce even more stress for you.
4. Bring support. My friends in the area were a great help. They knew triggering things for me and made the time to be there which made the experince more fun.

All of these things help me get through a stressful reunion weekend. While it was great visiting most people, it was even better that I was able to avoid other things and people that had the possibility of triggering negative emotional responses.