For instance, when someone describes going to school as “traumatic,” they often simply refer to it as a negative experience. This is not to say that everyone who went to school never had a traumatic experience; however, some individuals appear to overuse the term. Another example could be considering being lightly pushed into a locker as “traumatic.”
Trauma is a very broad term. I used to think of it that way until it was redefined a bit for me, so it makes more sense. “Trauma is something negative that will affect your behavioral patterns going forward” I think is how it was worded to me.
That’s where it gets more broad. So, yes I think overused, but probably not as much as you. Someone giving you the wrong change at a store? Not traumatic, you probably won’t remember it. Being bullied at school? Absolutely, that shit will stick with you for the rest of your life, I know me being bullied affected how I thought of other people for a long time.
I had one example a while back someone told me “Not reading a text while I’m driving is traumatic because I have anxiety and what if something happened” while they were trying to justify texting an driving. No, not traumatic. The trauma is what caused that anxiety to happen in the first place. You not being able to deal with your anxiety for just a few minutes until you stop driving is a separate problem, now put down the phone and pay attention to the road. Pull over and read it if it’s so debilitating.
Going by that definition, almost any learning experience is trauma.