Impacts of visiting

The impacts of visiting can vary, and there are both positive and negative ways that visiting might shape you.

The signs of stress and trauma will often be unique to the person experiencing them. It is important to note that they are not due to individual weakness, but rather a reflection of the conditions that people may be exposed to when visiting.

Some of the impacts can be:

Impact	Positive	Negative
Physical	Feeling energised, increased body awareness (ability to notice stress and tension)	Changes in sleep, appetite, muscle tension, fatigue, increased heart rate & digestive disruptions (e.g. upset stomach)
Emotional	Gratitude, greater ability to appreciate the ‘small things’, frustration that drives you towards action or advocacy	Feeling more down or anxious than usual, reduced interest in things that you previously enjoyed, irritability, overwhelm, feeling flat or detached
Mental	Greater ability to be more focused or present when listening to someone’s story, strengthened reflective and critical thinking	Difficulty concentrating, memory issues, difficulty making decisions, intrusive thoughts or rumination and feeling mentally overloaded
Social	Deeper connection with people over shared values, sense of solidarity and collective purpose, feeling part of a community/ movement	Withdrawal from relationships, feeling disconnected or misunderstood, irritability, reduced patience or emotional availability
Worldview	Having a clearer understanding of social inequality, a belief in human resilience, gaining insight from other people’s experiences	Reduced levels of trust in others, belief that the ‘world is a bad place’, hopelessness
Spiritual	Seeing faith as a resource, finding new purpose, changing priorities, different perspective on life	Questioning your faith and purpose, spiritual distress, loss of previously held beliefs

We are impacted by our experiences in a holistic way, and you may find that you are experiencing both positive and negative impacts at the same time. While you might have a stronger sense of purpose or moral conviction, you might also notice that you’re feeling more ‘wired’, are having trouble sleeping or blaming yourself for things outside of your control.

Generally, these impacts will occur over time. This can make it hard for us to identify what is happening as our ‘new normal’ slowly changes.

We might also experience moments when these impacts suddenly intensify, or we respond strongly after a specific visit. This might be due to things happening in your personal life, feeling a stronger connection to someone’s experiences, or changes that arise unexpectedly.