How can PTSD be helped?
Helping yourself
*DO*
keep life as normal as possible
Keep things calm, normal is kind of vague and sometimes when trauma happened when very young trauma can feel normal. I had to learn what a calm life felt like.
get back to your usual routine
If you don't have a usual routine, build one. Flylady taught me a lot about building routines. Hers was all about housework but it works for anything. Start with 15 minutes that you do everyday then build on that until you have a set of activities that work for you. (You can find Flylady at http://www.flylady.net/) I agree that writing down routines is helpful. I am still working towards overcoming my aversion to lists. (That is another post.)
talk about what happened to someone you trust
Someone you trust is important. Also you may need to choose someone that can handle hearing what happened. I was blessed with KavinCoach to listen to my horror stories. There were other people that I trusted but many are not prepared to hear the nightmares. KavinCoach wasn't too thrilled but he was prepared to hear hard stuff.
try relaxation exercises
Yes, practice relaxing. It doesn't come easy when hyper-vigilance is a part of PTSD. Start by finding a place you consider safe and then practice starting with a minute then work yourself up to longer periods. This was one of the toughest things I worked at doing. Relaxing is hard because I felt like I was letting my guard down.
go back to work
Staying busy makes a huge difference. To much time to dwell on the past can actually make PTSD much worse. KavinCoach instructed me that I could only spend one hour a day reading about and unraveling my past. He encouraged me to live in the present as much as possible.
eat and exercise regularly
Simple but makes a huge difference. Eating needs to be healthy choices. Real easy to use food for comfort instead of nourishment. My challenge is I am no longer going hungry. My food diary on MyFitnessPal.com reminds me how much food I ate during the day so my anxiety can not trick me into believing I am starving when I am not.
go back to where the traumatic event happened
If you do this I recommend taking a trusted friend with you. I collapsed completely when I accidentally went where the trauma happened. I didn't remember the trauma but when I was in the actual location I had flash backs. DH had to practically carry me out. This is also not always possible, KavinCoach helped me with visualization until I could visualize the place in my mind without shutting down.
take time to be with family and friends
I found PTSD is easier to handle when I am alone. I tend to retreat from family and friends when things are getting harder for me internally. I have to work hard at staying connected to family and friends. I learned it is worth the effort. I am thankful my family and friends don't give up on me.
be careful when driving – your concentration may be poor
AMEN. Be willing to get off the road if your mind starts going into places from your past. Driving can be deadly to you and other drivers if you are so focused on your past that you are not present for avoiding other cars. This is a real danger that I had to learn to accept. I often spend about a half an hour processing a counseling session before I attempt to drive home on the freeway.
be more careful generally – accidents are more likely at this time
Self care is surprisingly difficult when PTSD has the upper hand. Kitchen accidents, misstepping and falling are more frequent, just generally watching out for myself is needed when PTSD is working at disrupting my life.
speak to a doctor
Include your medical doctor as part of your team to get well.
expect to get better.
Your own expectations has more control over getting better than anything else.
*DONT*
beat yourself up about it - PTSD symptoms are not a sign of weakness. They are a normal reaction of a normal person to terrifying experiences.
Really easy to blame myself when it seems to be me. I am starting to recognize the difference between my reaction and a PTSD reaction. I am still responsible for how I behave, I try to be more patient with myself.
bottle up your feelings. If you have developed PTSD symptoms, don’t keep it to yourself because treatment is usually very successful.
Bottled up emotions stay perfectly intact waiting to explode at the wrong moment. Addressing how I feel and why is an important part of my day-to-day living. If I am furiously angry, I take the time to figure out what emotion came first. What is the real cause and not the surface cause? I can not lie to myself and say I am fine when I am not.
avoid talking about it
Counseling where I talk about what I am feeling made a big difference. I am learning there are other people in my life that I can trust with how I feel. Not talking about it does not make it go away, just closes avenues for healthier resolutions.
expect the memories to go away immediately; they may be with you for quite some time
The first incidents were over 50 years ago. Some of those events still haunt me. This is why I believe that PTSD is like diabetes...I get better at controlling my reaction but it never completely goes away.
expect too much of yourself. Cut yourself a bit of slack while you adjust to what has happened.
Do I give myself as much space as I would someone else in the same experiences? Do I treat myself with compassion that I deserve? For me, I needed a counselor to point out how harshly I treated myself. I am learning to give myself a break now and again.
stay away from other people
One of the earliest symptoms I have of PTSD running my life is I stay away from others. I work at scheduling to see other people, to keep myself present in my life.
drink lots of alcohol or coffee or smoke more
I was fortunate not to have these challenges but I tended to use food to bury my emotions. Food can be right there with other addictive problems.
get overtired
Insomnia gets worse and makes the symptoms worse. I have to consciously prepare myself to sleep. One of the things I do is stop using a computer about a half an hour before sleeping. This allows me to slow down my thinking.
miss meals
Skipping meals is a common way for people to control their life when life gets out of control. Anorexia is the extreme version of this problem.
take holidays on your own.
I have to give myself permission to take a holiday. They are important to help change up you days a bit. Keeping routines during vacation is helpful in enjoying my break.
What can interfere with getting better?
I need to be aware of the things that are challenging for me. Just because it doesn't bother someone else doesn't mean it won't affect me. Goes the other way around too. Things that bother me may not bother someone else with PTSD. Self awareness is vital in healing and find what works for me.
You may find that other people may:
not let you talk about it
avoid you
be angry with you
think of you as weak
blame you.
These are all ways in which other people protect themselves from thinking about gruesome or horrifying events. It won’t help you because it doesn’t give you the chance to talk over what has happened to you. And it is hard to talk about such things.
It was very hard on my when several people that I knew chose to no longer be around me when they found out I was a multiple personality. They wanted nothing to do with me. It really hurt because I was the same person I just had a name for what happened to me. Integration did not change my desire to be around the people that rejected me when I could have used their support instead of their condemnation. PTSD is tough and some people just can't handle being around someone that is struggling with this challenge.
A traumatic event can put you into a trance-like state which makes the situation seem unreal or bewildering. It is harder to deal with if you can’t remember what happened, can’t put it into words, or can’t make sense of it.
This is when I discovered that art is a powerful ally in approaching those areas that I couldn't address with words. Art therapy works.
Treatment
Just as there are both psychological and physical aspects to PTSD, so there are both psychological and physical treatments for it.
JOIN US at The Battle Buddy Foundation as we work to bring healing and hope to our nation's injured heroes!
www.Battle-Buddy.org
Both body and spirit were damaged and both need to heal. A variety or choices are available. Battle-Buddy is spreading the word for Soldiers. I am trying to reach others that spent a childhood in fear. There is help available...part of the challenge is reaching out and seeking help where ever you can find it. One of the things that blesses my life is my faith in Jesus Christ as my savior. Other people find solace in other faiths that teach healing and peace. I seek out what brings peace to my soul. I actively look for healing and ways to better my life. Sitting at home feeling sorry for myself does not bring about healing.
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