We've likely once stated that we were "traumatized" by an experience.
We, of course, were mostly talking in jest, and might even laugh about that memory more than anything.
However, trauma is a very real occurrence, and more often than not when people say they are still traumatized, they are not kidding.
In truth, even situations that we jokingly called "traumatizing" might have had a longer-term effect on us than we might realize.
Possibly even suggesting that we weren't joking after all.
Redditor thatude123 was curious to hear about experiences or situations that were and are far more traumatizing than they seem, leading them to ask:
"What is something that is actually more traumatizing than people realize?"
You Think You Know Someone:
"Being betrayed by someone you considered trustworthy."- cicatrixz888
A Lifetime Of Memories Gone In A Flash
"Concussion."
"Got my first at age 60."
"My memory was really good before, nearly photographic good."
"Now, I forget the names of people, objects, and almost anything."
"It's like part of my brain got locked up, and I don't have a key for it."- BMXTammi
That's Why We Lead By Example
"Working for a sh*tty boss / supervisor."
"It plays on your brain."- The68Guns
There's A Reason They Call It "Intensive"
"ICU stays."
"I've been intubated twice this year and ICU delirium is so real and so awful and scary you really have no sense of reality and it makes processing anything next to impossible."
"I hallucinated my dead boyfriend decomposing in front of me and just generally had no idea what was real."- halfhorror
It's Never Fun When It's Not Your Choice
"Trauma seems dramatic but getting laid off really f*cked me up."
"Every day waking up with a pit in your stomach."
"I still think about it daily at my current job and it's been years."- Danominator
Why You Always Feel Alone
"Emotional neglect—it leaves deep, invisible scars."-saesathar-naldi
A Long Road To Recovery
"The lasting effects of a mental illness."
"Even after you've gotten through the worst of it, there will still be lingering symptoms, combined with the grief of having lost so much of your life and your personality to it."
"I just want to remind everybody who's struggling that you're not alone and that there are people out there able and willing to help."
"Thanks for the upvotes and gold, and stay strong."- BluePelican28
It Truly Affects Us All
"Friends breakups."- lolbemad
One Of The Worst Things Imagineable
"The death of a pet."- Jellybeans74
Why There Should Always Be Second Chances
"Having a job you were good at and you had a lot of friends, only to blow it all and get fired for a dumb mistake you knew better than to make, but did anyway (just happened to me a month ago)."- Last-Sound-3999
It Truly Accomplishes Nothing
"Being screamed at."
"Grew up in a household where there was constant arguments."
"Even witnessing someone being yelled at makes my whole body go tense."- Mutt_Bunch
Why So Many People Stick To The Bus
"Non-serious car accidents."
"When I was younger I was with my grandpa and we got hit from the right at an intersection."
"No one was hurt in the accident at all, I went bowling like twenty minutes later."
"Yet it's been years and I still get that anxiety and panicked feeling when a car is pulling up to an intersection from the right."- cowboyromussy
Children Know MUCH More Than They Let On...
"Early childhood trauma."
"Not holding your kid, not caring for basic needs, if the house is a toxic environment."
"Even in early early years it has a live long impact on how our attachment style develops and how well we handle our emotional regulation."
"This can cause massive issues down the road."
"A lot of people think children won't understand due to their age."
"And think it wont bother the kid or they wont remember or w/e excuse they wanna use."
"However they don't need to 'understand' for it to be traumatic."
"Early childhood development is so so vital to having stability and proper foundation to being a functioning adult down the line."- Poorchick91
When In Doubt, SEEK HELP
"Having depression."
"I am genuinely traumatized from the times I’ve been so close to leaving the earth on my own terms."
"The feeling is INDESCRIBABLE."
"I don’t see enough people talking about how after crawling out of that deep of a hole it’s genuinely so scary to think about it happening again."- retrosnot86
Bullying Begets Bullying...
"Being bullied"
"This is one that can mess people up for life."
"When it happens to kids, it can teach them to be afraid or shy or nervous around people, and that can last into adulthood because they have to retrain their brain."- outofdate70shouse
Next time you hear someone say they were "traumatized" by a recent experience, the best thing to do might not be to laugh, but to lend an ear.
As sometimes all people need to move on is knowing there is someone there who is always willing to listen.
Most importantly, always treat others the way you want to be treated.
@jaketapoer/Bluesky
@BillAckman/Twitter