If you have been in war, a violent event or any other traumatic situation and are dealing with post traumatic stress disorder, you know just how difficult this can be. When you want to move forward past this sort of condition, it will require you to learn all about post traumatic stress disorder, in order to get the healing and restoration that you need and deserve. With this in mind, there are some valuable words of advice you can use to help yourself bounce back from PTSD.
Tip #1: Get Professional Help From A Therapist And Attend Sessions Regularly
Perhaps the most important thing to do if you suffer from PTSD is reach out to a mental health professional who can assist you. These professionals will be able to help you work through these issues, which is why you should attend the sessions regularly. In terms of words of advice for dealing with PTSD, getting treatment from a professional is the absolute most important step to take. Be sure that you coordinate your health insurance to allow you to receive these mental health sessions at a reasonable rate.
Tip #2: Learn The Ways To Deal With Flashbacks
There are also some important tips that you will need to keep in mind in order to deal with the flashbacks as they come. Flashbacks from PTSD can be the most frightening part of all, so mastering a protocol for bouncing back from these flashbacks will be the most useful skill you can learn immediately. First and foremost, engage in regular breathing exercises which will help you to relax and remember where you are as flashbacks occur. Go into your breathing exercises during a flashback and repeatedly count to 10 until you are able to relax.
Make sure that you key in on a sense, such as smell or sound, so that you can focus on that sense and ground yourself. As the flashback occurs, do not fight it. This may seem counterintuitive, but as the ancient adage goes, that which resists, persists. If you resist the flashback rather than confront it, they will continuously occur as opposed to being worked out of your system, so to speak. Remain impartial to it, like a common observer, so that you learn to not get attached to the flashback and make it any more real than it is.
Another way to bounce back from a flashback is to wear elastic bands around your wrist, which you can snap anytime that you are going through a flashback, so that you can fully come back to reality. Further, regularly maintaining a journal will allow you to keep your sense of reality and organize your thoughts and mental affairs.
Tip #4: Stay Busy And Treat Yourself
On a regular basis, you need to be sure that you are staying attuned to your overall sense of well-being. A way to do this is to remain as busy as possible and involve yourself with fulfilling and worthwhile activities and endeavors. You should also embrace who you are as a person and allow yourself the opportunity to relax and rest when necessary. Treat yourself to a massage or spa session regularly and engage yourself in many different hobbies and activities which will prove fruitful to you. Further, eat healthy and nutritious food, drink plenty of water and get eight hours of sleep so that you are always going through your day at baseline levels of euphoria and health.
Tip #5: Develop A Positive Social Circle
The company that you keep will go a long way toward dealing with your PTSD symptoms. When you have good people in your life who want the best from you and for you, you will have a positive support system that will help you to go through every step of the process. Positive people are actually a necessity for recovery, so whether you are leaning on your friends and family or joining a new group for accountability and support, this is one of the most critical steps to follow.
Tip #6: Stay Away From Substances And Triggers That Prompt PTSD Flashbacks as you heal
It is also very important that you understand the potential triggers and circumstances that will lead to flashbacks. By understanding what you’re up against, you will have a better chance of compartmentalizing these factors and learning to deal with them in a positive way. Knowing is half the battle, so by understanding more about these critical factors, you can address them head-on as opposed to the remaining a victim to them. This will be integral through your entire process of healing from post traumatic stress disorder and will inform every other step of the public process that you follow.
So with these words of advice in mind, you will be able to make your PTSD something manageable, until you are cured as a whole. By taking this matter seriously, you give yourself the greatest opportunity to bounce back and take your life back. By taking it upon yourself to learn all about post traumatic stress disorder, you will help yourself regain a sense of peace and overall well being in your life. Follow these great tips for bouncing back from PTSD so that this condition can no longer get the best of you.