©2025 – Amy Morin, LCSW. All Rights Reserved
©2025 – Amy Morin, LCSW. All Rights Reserved
Trauma is not solely determined by the severity of an event but rather by its impact on an individual’s perception of themselves and the world. “Tiny t” traumas are cumulative, low-grade traumas that build up over time and can have a profound effect on mental health.
Dr. Meg Arroll, the author of Tiny Traumas: When You Don’t Know What’s Wrong, But Nothing Feels Quite Right emphasizes the importance of acknowledging and validating these experiences, as they can often be dismissed or minimized. She introduces her AAA approach to coping with “tiny t” traumas, which involves awareness, acceptance, and action.
Some of the things she talks about are how “tiny t” traumas might be taking a toll on you, what sort of events are considered “tiny t” traumas, and the steps you can take to recover from them.
Key Takeaways:
“It’s the impact on the individual that counts.” – Dr. Meg Arroll
“We tend to dismiss how these things have affected us.” – Dr. Meg Arroll
“Resilience is taking a moment, pausing, and being able to build some coping strategies within our mental health.” – Dr. Meg Arroll
0:00:00 Amy Morin introduces the topic of tiny traumas
0:00:48 Dr. Meg discusses the impact of tiny traumas
0:02:40 Definition of tiny traumas and their cumulative effect
0:05:44 Trauma is about the individual’s experience, not the event
0:07:49 Reverse misery trumps and the dismissal of tiny traumas
0:09:31 Feeling guilty and blaming oneself for not coping better
0:10:30 Concrete examples of tiny traumas
0:11:52 Dr. Meg shares her personal experience with tiny traumas
0:12:28 People often struggle to get diagnosed or heard regarding their condition.
0:14:02 Separating big T and little t traumas may not be necessary.
0:14:44 Impact of trauma is more important than categorizing it.
0:16:21 Common presentations of tiny t traumas include high function anxiety, emotional blunting, maladaptive perfectionism, and impostor syndrome.
0:17:24 Difficulties with managing life transitions are common and can lead to feelings of guilt and shame.
0:19:43 People may hesitate to talk about little t traumas due to fear of minimizing others’ pain.
0:21:41 A three-stage process for coping with tiny t traumas: awareness, acceptance, and action.
0:22:02 Becoming aware of the impact of tiny t traumas can be challenging.
0:23:07 Acceptance is often the most difficult stage for people.
0:24:26 Acceptance allows for using the past to create a fulfilling future.
0:24:49 Third action stage focuses on forward momentum and movement.
0:25:33 Importance of taking action to shift thoughts and feelings.
0:26:38 Mental fitness is like physical fitness, requires maintenance and practice.
0:27:49 Prevention and psychological fitness are important for long-term well-being.
0:28:35 Embracing the full range of emotions to build psychological strength.
0:30:14 Resilience is about pausing and building coping strategies for healing.
0:31:35 Feeling all emotions, positive or negative, is part of being human.
0:32:06 Acceptance and coping strategies are key to healing from trauma.
0:33:03 Accept that tiny traumas impact mental health and seek help.
0:34:14 Embrace a wide range of emotions and practice coping skills.
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Visit Dr. Meg’s website – DrMegArroll.com
Check out her book – Tiny Traumas
Buy Amy’s books on mental strength
Connect with Amy on Instagram — @AmyMorinAuthor
Email the show — Podcast@AmyMorinLCSW.com
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