Living with PTSD can be a challenging journey, often accompanied by misunderstandings, stereotypes, and societal stigma. However, it is crucial to break the silence surrounding this mental health condition and create a safe space for open dialogue and understanding.
But this write up goes beyond coping with PTSD; it is about harnessing personal growth. I challenge you to view PTSD as an opportunity for resilience and growth, to unlock your full potential and embrace a fulfilling life beyond their trauma.
Begin each day as an opportunity to overcome your PTSD will give you new incite in how to live out that day. The decision is yours and you must take the opportunity if you are going to create the life that you want to embrace your growth or stay within the confinements of the PTSD disorder.
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental health condition that develops after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. Stigma often arises from misconceptions and stereotypes, which can further isolate and prevent individuals from seeking help.
There are many people out there who will tell you that you shouldn’t feel the way that you do anymore, that you should be past the trauma, or maybe you are past your trauma living a fulfilled life and working through your growth, but you shouldn’t be.
People will always try to interject their opinions into your life, sometimes it can be a good thing, sometimes its because they truly want to help, but when people haven’t experienced what you have experienced, or even anything similar it is hard to really understand what you are going through.
When I when through the traumatic experience of losing my son, and after 2 years of dealing with PTSD and depression, I began the climb out the dark hole, but people would comment that they didn’t understand how I could be living a happy life, they never would be able to do that after losing a child.
They didn’t understand what it truly felt like, sometimes those comments would push be back down into that hole for a few days, but lately many years later, I know that they don’t understand what I have been through, and they don’t know what I have experienced and how I live my life.
You have to take back your power from any individual tying to interject into your life, because it is your life.
One of the best ways to grow past all of this stigma and break the silence is to talk about it, to not fear your conversations with people, you have to set your boundaries and really let them know how you feel and if their comments are helping or hindering you.
By initiating conversations, we can break down barriers and challenge the stigma that surrounds this condition. Listening to others and how they have worked through their growth and become a better version every day will help you to see how to transform your life. This has to be done daily.
I remember taking a course and they talked about as an entrepreneur if you didn’t work your business the way you wanted to you fire yourself at night and rehire yourself in the morning as a better version and a more successful you.
Well, I have had to do this many days in my life, there are days that I have done things, acted a certain way, said certain things, really not been my higher self and I have had to say this isn’t who I am anymore and fire me and create a new version of me in the morning.
This is a fun opportunity to look at your life and a great opportunity to become a new you. Each day I am trying to be the best version of myself, taking on challenges and failing or creating success and seeing my wins. Either way I am growing and making the best of this thing called life.
Resilience is a powerful tool in coping with PTSD, and resilience isn’t for the event that you have been through, it is preparing for the event that you are going to go through in the future. Focusing on your strength and not the weakness that has helped you get through the event that you went through; it has helped you move into a position of power in your life and give you the sword and shield that is needed to take on the next battle.
Working on your personal resilience you are looking through the glasses of success and lessons, not mistakes and failures. Mistakes and failures aren’t going to help you feel successful they are going to make you feel weak or that you aren’t good enough, that all you do it fail.
When you look at your past traumatic event what do you see? Do you see and event that you failed at or that caused you great pain? Or do you see something that you make it through, that you had the strength to make it through, that there are others in this world who haven’t.
Often times we compare ourselves to others, but we are usually on the lower end, but you are superior in your life, you did crush the event that you went through, you are building your life after the event one day at a time, with your preparedness for that future event that will try again to teach you.
I know and always have a knowing in my mind that if I am not going through a challenge right now, I will be going through one in the near future. How is a diamond molded it is pushed up against great pressure before it can shine. That is what we all must face daily.
Self-care is one of the best ways to prepare for that next challenges that you are going to face. When you are always beating yourself down and not building yourself up, how they can you really be ready for that next challenge?
Life is full of choices, and some of the simplest choices are the things that you say to yourself. On a daily basis we have over 12,000 – 60,000 thoughts a day and 80% are negative and 95% are repetitive. You are really only having 5% thoughts that are new and 20 % that are positive.
When you can begin to use self-care practices in your life and begin to do this with your thoughts your whole life will begin to shift. Some very simple self-care practices are:
Get regular exercise. Just 30 minutes of walking every day can help boost your mood and improve your health. ...
Eat healthy, regular meals and stay hydrated. ...
Make sleep a priority. ...
Try a relaxing activity. ...
Set goals and priorities. ...
Practice gratitude. ...
Focus on positivity. ...
Stay connected.
No one should face PTSD alone. Support networks play a crucial role in the recovery process. This can be family and friends or even professional help, either way this journey shouldn’t be taken alone.
I think about the lord of the rings movie, when Frodo and Sam are off together and the enemy Gollum is trying to break them apart and finally after he does on the stairs, and Frodo gets into a challenge that literally puts him into a vulnerable position, Sam still comes back to help.
For those who haven’t seen it may not get that reference, but what I mean is that when you are going through times of challenges, the enemy or PTSD, the thoughts that you are having might cause you to push those people away. The strong will always return because they care, and the ones that don’t, really don’t belong anyways.
When I was going through my transformation period, I lost a lot of people who I thought were friends, I have a few close friends now, that have helped me over the years and I can call on them when I am going through a tough time. You will have people that come and go and the earlier you realize that there are people who may have been in your life for years but really aren’t a good support network that faster you will begin to grow and build a more positive support around you.
By reframing our experiences, we can transform trauma into a catalyst for positive change. Success stories of individuals who have thrived after overcoming PTSD will inspire us and illustrate the potential for personal growth and development.
To effect lasting change, we must become advocates for PTSD awareness. They always say that one of the best ways to become good at something is to know it so well that you can teach it. You have been through something in your life that thousands of these billions of people on earth need, and they are looking for a guide, I am building the PTSD transformation academy to show you that, when you are ready it time to turn your mess into your message, its time to take the pain that you have been through and use it to help others overcome the pain that they are currently going through.
In the beginning of my transformation, I was looking for a why, know when it comes to painful times in your past, trying to figure out why it happened is a very slippery road. But when you can create that why, you can add purpose to your life. That is what I did with all of you. I became an advocate for PTSD and show people how to transform their lives despite living with it every day, this is my journey!!
What is yours?
Today while reading Breaking the Silence: Overcoming Stigma and Embracing PTSD Growth is a I wanted to empower you to challenge the stigma associated with PTSD. By fostering open dialogue, embracing resilience, building supportive communities, and harnessing personal growth, we can create a more inclusive and compassionate environment for individuals with PTSD.
Remember, knowledge gained is powerful only when applied. Take the lessons learned today and make a positive difference in your life and the lives of others. Let us become agents of change, breaking the silence, and embracing growth for those affected by PTSD.
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