It does fade out over time, very dependent on chance and also if you have external stressors or things that keep triggering you (by example if your environment tends to be victim blaming it's gonna take more time than if folks around are supportive, if your abuser still lives in the same city, if the colour of your carpet makes you think of it each time you see it, any trigger big of small, avoidable of unavoidable, might set off nightmares).
So, as annoying as it is, it's normal. I hope for you it's gonna remain just acute stress and not morph into PTSD because it would mean you'll be on the long run.
Some psychiatrists think that being sedated right in the aftermath might ease long run post traumatic effects as your memory doesn't register the events very well, but it's not something everyone shares. My pdoc thinks that. "First cease the fire, then we'll see." But this works more in the cases of you being a total wreck and running in circles.
What helped me a little apart from medication was cutting tea and coffee totally, forcing me to have normal rhythms, eating at the same hours, exercising (when I was capable), practice mindfulness and breath yoga. Ideally, exercise before the yoga. Then a warm nice shower or bath and bed.
In the mornings, lukewarm to cold showers made me more attentive and energised. You don't need to throw an ice bucket on your head, just see how cold you can get without feeling uncomfortable and you go gradually. It's very soothing once you get there, in 2 or 3 showers that's what it took me and believe me I'm not an advocate of jumping in cold swimming pools.
Privilege walks and stuff that moves your body. The tension grows much stronger when you remain inert.
Drink a lot of water. When we're in alert mode we forget to drink, plus we tend to pee more often cause the body is just leaving anything unnecessary to survive. Dehydration causes a lot of the headache and the body pain and eventually nausea when your dehydration causes migraines.
Stress is an awful vixen but there are many small things we can do to manage it. It will not make it disappear but you can avoide to contribute further to it by slightly blocking the spots where it gets worse.
Avoid exposing yourself too much to triggers that are unnecessary. And it can be silly. If changing the background of your desktop works, go for it. Of course you cannot change everything but there are many small details we can contain or erase and it makes it easier.
