After a traumatic event, you may be in shock and have a lot more questions than answers. These feelings are completely normal and expected. Below are some tips for what you can do next when you are ready.
- Reach out to a privileged source on campus, such as the Counseling Center or a pastor/chaplain such as to find out your options.
- If you plan to report a sexual battery, act quickly as evidence is time sensitive. Do not shower or wash clothing or sheets that could be used as evidence. If you did this already, you can still report the assault.
- Try not to question your reaction to the event. It is common for survivors to be paralyzed with fear or to not have a voice when they try to scream. What happened is not your fault and your reaction is normal.
- Accept the help of others. Allowing at least one other person to listen and understand what you have been through will validate your need to be heard. Confiding in a friend will allow you to share your story and provide needed support at this difficult time.
- Keep busy. It is common to feel useless and not know what to do with yourself after a traumatic event. Getting back to activities that promote personal satisfaction can provide feelings of value and usefulness.
- Cry if you want to. Crying is a healthy way of releasing emotions, expressing the loss, and recognizing what happened to you. If you don’t feel like crying, don’t feel guilty about it. Let your feelings take their natural course and remember that there is no right way to feel. It is also common to experience mood swings and indecisiveness after a traumatic event.
- Engage in exercise and relaxation activities. Sometimes vigorous activity is needed to release endorphins in the body. At other times, relaxation activities such as yoga or meditation are helpful in returning control, balance, and calmness to the body.
- Maintain a healthy diet. This will allow your body to feel stronger and to heal faster than binging on junk food.
- Avoid stimulants such as caffeine, sugar, or nicotine. These substances will only increase your body's inability to rest, which is what it truly needs right now.
- Go in search of information and support. Reading books or talking with others who have overcome similar circumstances will empower you and aid in your own healing process.
Take action. When you are ready to move on and focus on others, join a support group or volunteer to help others. Getting involved in a cause will give you a sense of meaning and purpose as well as a renewed sense of self
Culture of Respect
As part of Georgia Tech’s continued commitment to addressing campus sexual violence, our campus joined the Culture of Respect Collective, an initiative of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators in Higher Education Administration (NASPA). Open to faculty, staff, and students.
VOICE Peer Education
VOICE Peer Educators are diverse and dedicated undergraduate and graduate students at Georgia Tech who are trained to educate their peers about topics such as consent, sexual violence prevention, bystander intervention, healthy relationships, and survivor support.
Joint Sexual Violence Advisory Committee
SGA's Joint Sexual Violence Advisory Committee is an inclusive and diverse SGA-led student subcommittee, originally formed as a result of the Presidential Task Force on Sexual Violence recommendations.
People Against Unwanted Sexual Experiences
PAUSE is a registered student organization dedicated to raising awareness of sexual violence and developing a safer, more inclusive culture on Georgia Tech's campus through, advocacy, education, and outreach.
Equity and Compliance Advisory Group
Equity and Compliance Programs is building a group of students, faculty, and staff to work alongside them as they endeavor to build a culture beyond compliance and ensure that all campus community members are safe from discrimination.
ABLE Alliance
The ABLE Alliance at Georgia Tech is a student organization that is open to Georgia Tech students, faculty, and staff. We are dedicated to improving on-campus disability inclusion through access & resource sharing, community and social support, and professional and career mentoring.