When Will I Feel Better?

The first few days after an assault, you may feel like a zombie, walking among the living. You may start to wonder, when does this get any easier? Well, it does.

The key is to be patient with yourself and not force anything – after all, this is only heaping on more trauma and stress. The beginning stages of your recovery can last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, depending on a range of variables.

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Reactions During the Initial Recovery

During this time, you may experience floods of emotions and a range of bodily symptoms coming up, mixed in with moments of relative calm. But just like a giant splash in a body of water, the ripples eventually do calm down and things will be still again. You may have nightmares. You may feel pain in any area that was involved in the assault, or just a vague sense of discomfort. You may even come down with a cold or flu.

Sleep

Try a soothing night time ritual. For some sexual assault survivors, nights are the hardest to deal with. During the quiet time when they’re alone in their beds, their minds start to wonder and before long, they’re caught up in distressing memories that rob them of sleep.

Sleep will be vital for your recovery, so do what you can to give your body as much of it as it needs, during this early stage of healing. Below is a night time ritual you can do each and every night to still your mind and remind yourself that your healing is in process, and that things will be OK.

Exercise 

About an hour before you actually go to sleep, start to prepare for bed and wind down. Get rid of electronics and distractions, and focus on slowly putting your body and mind to rest. Have a cup of Valerian root, chamomile or rooibos tea, and sip it while listening to relaxing music. Have a hot bath with aromatherapy oils (like lavender!), bubbles, some candles or nothing at all.

Make the Ritual Your Own

Read a book of poetry or some inspirational material. If you have a loving partner, ask for a back or foot rub, if you’d enjoy that. Indulge in some yoga stretches or meditate for a moment. You can choose how you prepare for bed, but make the ritual all your own.

Set Yourself up for Success

Just before you climb under the covers, gently tell both your body and mind that you trust them to heal, and that you will be patient and good to yourself in the process. Then go to sleep, knowing that when you do, you’ll be getting one step closer to waking up feeling stronger.

Full reference: 

(Jan 13, 2016). When Will I Feel Better?. Retrieved Jun 27, 2025 from Explorable.com: https://explorable.com/e/when-will-i-feel-better

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