What is The Anniversary Effect, and could I have it?
The Anniversary Effect is any disturbing, unsettling feelings, thoughts or memories that occur on the anniversary of some sort of pain, upset, trauma, or loss.
Birthdays, anniversaries, seasons (such as the holidays) or a particular date or hour of the day can all activate The Anniversary Effect.
Symptoms such as feeling on edge, difficulty concentrating, irritability, nightmares, sleep problems and feeling detached may seem to appear unexpectedly.
If you find yourself experiencing upsetting feelings or thoughts that don’t seem to be justified by anything currently happening in your life, try asking yourself, “has anything significant happened to me this time of year?”
The anniversary effect happens for a reason. Research shows that our brains store sad, painful, or traumatic memories in an easily accessible way so that we can be remember the event and prepare and protect ourselves from something similar happening again. /span>
In other words, the body remembers the anniversary of a traumatic event even though you might not be conscious of it. The mind has a way of instinctually remembering the time of trauma as a way to guard ourselves from future harm.
Coping strategies to help you through traumatic anniversaries including recognizing and acknowledging your feelings and finding healthy ways to cope and manage your distress.
If your symptoms don’t subside, this simply means that the trauma was so intense that it pushed you past your normal coping ability. It may be time to consider reaching out to a therapist. Drop me a comment below and let me know… When is your Anniversary Effect?
