The holiday season is upon us. Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas are all clustered together. The holidays are stressful for most of us, but they can be crippling when you’re struggling with PTSD. The history you carry into these days of celebration shine a light on your fight. PTSD can create pain in these times because of the realization that you can never again have them as they once were.
PTSD changes you, but the changes needn’t be permanent. There is no magic potion that can make what happened not so, however it doesn’t have to control your life. The key to managing this fight is to address the symptoms head-on.
By focusing on symptoms rather than the trauma that triggered it, your PTSD becomes a checklist. Refer to the list of symptoms included on the page above, print the list or simply write down those symptoms you have experienced. Make a goal of attacking one symptom at a time and write in your journal how that symptom plays out in your life. Once you’ve defined it, you can begin to build a strategy for taking that one symptom off your list.
One day at a time, one symptom at a time. There is no timeframe, it takes as long as it takes, but know this—when you knock one off that list you will claim victory. There are no shortcuts, hopefully you’ve heard that from your mental health support team. You do have a way out. You can stop this from controlling your life.
I’ve said before that I support talk therapy, but I also recognize how difficult it is to talk about trauma and PTSD. The reason talk therapy works is that by talking you take control of your symptoms and you put them out of your head where they can be discussed, dissected and, hopefully put to rest. For those us who cannot or will not talk about such things the alternative is to put them on paper. Once they are on paper they can become more manageable and possibly resolved. We can’t make the trauma go away, but we can begin to manage the symptoms brought about by the trauma.
The workbook I wrote for my counseling with soldiers on Ft. Bragg is now available for purchase here by clicking on the Buy A Copy tab above. For the next few weeks, while supplies last, I will include a starter journal. It’s not an expensive one, but it just might help you get past your initial hesitation. I will also give you my email address and phone number good for up to 4 thirty minute one-on-one coaching sessions.
Take control, don’t let PTSD control your life.
Journaling and its Role In PTSD Therapy 