How do I cope with thinking my trauma wasn’t “bad enough?”

First off, apologies if this comes out long and rambling. I’ve only been aware that I have ptsd for about 3 months now and I’m kind of struggling. So my words might not be as concise as I’d like.

(That being said, I’ll try and save the actual rambling for a vent post.)

Second, since I can’t attach more than one flair to a post, I want to add a content warning for some talk of bullying.

The main advice I’m looking for is advice on how to cope with the feeling that your traumas were not bad enough to warrant a PTSD diagnosis or even to be considered trauma at all.

I know this is a very common thought line among people who are struggling, and that everyone’s different so what’s traumatizing for one person won’t be for another so we shouldn’t compare, but I read the stuff that happened to you folks and just… mine feels so little in comparison.

The doctor that diagnosed me included a line about how the way my brain is structured (I have autism) may make me perceive stress as if it were trauma. Because my systems which are supposed to help with stress aren’t sufficient enough to dampen the stress response, so even mild stressors can provoke a trauma response.

And this makes sense, I suppose? Because I was bullied as a kid, but not like, getting beat up or stuff like that. Just name calling and some ostracizing and that sort of thing. Stuff that I’d expect to affect my confidence, but not affecting me to the point of giving me ptsd. Yet here I am, presenting with enough of the symptoms to get diagnosed.

That’s the core of it I suppose. I feel like I haven’t explained myself enough, but I promised I’d try to keep this short and I’m not trying to reaffirm my diagnosis, just ask for advice.

So, to reiterate the question - how do you deal with the thought that your trauma was not bad enough?