I was asked what I do to alleviate my PTSD symptoms by a fellow Steemian. It would be a really long comment, so I decided to make a story post about it. Also, it may be a good idea to put it out in the form of a story post, so others who may be struggling with this issue can find it and possibly gain some ideas to help with their PTSD.
Things I do to Alleviate PTSD Symptoms
For physical stress symptoms, I try to get outside and so some form of exercise every day. It's not necessarily "exercise" in the strict sense, but I try to get my body moving in some way. For example, I may work in the yard or play with my children outside. It seems to help relieve the physical tension from being stressed.
For depression and an overall feeling of well being, I have been taking an herbal supplement called Chai Hu Long Gu Mu Li Wan for a few months now. It has really helped with my depression symptoms and it is supposed to help heal my liver after years of alcohol abuse.
I also try to get myself engaged in a fun activity to get my mind off of depressing thoughts. It may be playing with the children or focusing on my hygiene(cutting my hair, trimming my beard, taking a shower). Sometimes, I don't even want to do the activity and force myself, but I notice I usually feel better afterward.
For sleeping, I have been trying to keep myself on a strict sleep schedule. If I've had a really bad night of sleep or feel super tired the next day I do take time for a nap.
Chamomile tea has also become part of my sleep routine and I try to avoid caffeine after 5 pm. I also take warm showers about two hours before bed to get me more relaxed.
I am waiting for the release of a smart watch app called My Bivy to help with the nightmares.
To help with emotional processing, I have actually been eating. Before I would maybe eat once a day. There are many days I still have to force myself to eat. Through research, I have learned that your brain will actually shut down higher energy systems in your body to conserve energy. This includes the part of the brain that helps with threat detection, emotion, and willpower.
For anger, I took an anger management course. From this, I learned to take a step back and try to identify why I am angry. Sometimes, I even take a time out before I address the situation.
I have even stepped away from people and given a primal yell from the inner depths of my gut. May look weird, but it's a way better reaction than the old me.
There is a lot of deep breathing exercises involved, especially in the moment. My wife can now usually tell when I am becoming annoyed or frustrated, because of my deep breathing, lol.
I have even closed my eyes and visualized what is important to me(my family) to keep from doing what the old me would do in situations that I am angry.
I do a lot of visualization and planning for going in public. For example, If I know I am going to a store, I try to keep it to a store I am familiar with. I write down what I need and I take the time to close my eyes and imagine me going through the store and the route I will take to get to each aisle. I try to imagine a successful trip. This seems to help my body avoid sensory overload when I am completing the actual task.
Writing about it or finding someone to talk to. Getting your thoughts on paper or out in the open helps tremendously. It's better to let it out than keep it in, as the old saying goes.
Sometimes I write about it and other times I talk to my wife. It took me a long time to be able to talk to my wife about it, but she witnesses every day what I go through and is affected the most by it.
This helps me to analyze why I may be feeling the way I am and even identify "stuck points" in my emotional processing.
These are the changes I have made in my life to help with my PTSD.
They did not all happen overnight, but in conjunction with one another, the changes have made an overall positive impact on my life. I hope someone can utilize some of these tools to better their life with PTSD.
I apologize if this is not the most well-formatted post. Kind of hard to figure out where to stick pictures and what not in this one.
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Another energy technique that has helped a lot of vets is Emotional Freedom Technique (aka EFT or Tapping). Here's a Youtube vid showing the success some of them have had:
I did a couple of posts on EFT last year:
• Emotional Freedom Technique Part 1
• EFT Part 2 – Getting started
I watched the video and it was quite amazing. I will be sure to read your posts too because this is an avenue I am interested in exploring.
I know how much effort you've been putting into moving on, so I'd be thrilled if this helps too.
helpful information
Natures medication such as Ayahuasca, marijuana, psilocybin mushrooms have been known to greatly help with PTSD and many other problems. I was treated for chronic pain at a national hospital using Ketamine and the side effect were helpful and unexpected. It has changed my outlook on life and I would recommend trying natures medicine first before going through months or years of talk therapy or suicide. A good place to start may be Maps.org Said with much love.
@healthnation Pot has been my PTSD go to for as long ad I can remember.
Thank you. I hope it does help someone.
Great post! Thank you.
If you don't mind me asking, as far as PTSD itself, what do you get more of - nightmares and pictures of something specific, or just general sensation of stress, apprehension and anger?
I don't get as many flashbacks as I use to. The nightmares are still frequent, but nothing like they use to be. General stress, apprehension, and anger are the main symptoms I deal with now. I don't drive often because then I do deal with flashbacks and panic attacks quite frequently. If I do drive it's only a 10-minute drive to the store and a road I am very familiar with. That happens very rarely.
This is very tough still.
Do you have a dog? Apparently, they can be very helpful in a situation like that.
I've requested one and the VA did not have the funds at the time I requested them. It's been over a year since I've used them for anything. They only want to pump you up with pharmaceuticals and I've tried that before and have no desire to again.
This is all good stuff. You mentioned getting your body moving, from what I understand of trauma is that it is largely stored in the body and there is a man called Dr Bercelli (I think) who developed a technique called TRE, he worked in war zones and noticed that children shake after traumatic events but adults seemingly suppress this natural response so basically his method invokes the body's response to shake, I have used it myself and still do at times, from my experience it helps. There is also a book called "the body keeps the score" I haven't read it and can't remember the authors name but apparently it is really insightful. Seemingly there is evidence to suggest that nofap helps with social anxiety but that is a whole different subject. I hope you heal well and Keep writing!
Lol, I had to look up what nofap meant.
I've never heard of TRE but am always open to trying new things to see what helps. I would not be surprised if adults suppress physical responses to emotion. We do some weird things as we get older. Thanks for the suggestions!
Wow you are into Traditional Chinese Medicine too!!! You take Chai Hu Long Gu Mu Li Wan!!! I had to google that one hehe :)
It is crazy to imagine how much you face and have to overcome through 'forcing yourself' on a daily basis..I'm really glad that you have frequent chats with @curly-q about how you are doing. Keep going strong, @lexikon082!!
I will keep going strong @foodie.warrior. I notice the more and more I do these things, the more they become part of my routine. It's still hard to many of them, but with repetition I want them to become part of my daily routine without thinking about doing it.
Yes, I do like Traditional Chinese Medicine. A medicinal practice that has been around for at least 2,000 years has to be legit. It has to be way better than the pharmaceuticals that have only been around a few decades. I have been contemplating a visit to a Holistic Doctor to get my body centered to where it needs to be.
Thank you for your wonderful replies, as always. I truly look forward to them.
Did you get that supplement over the counter? Haven't heard of it before but I'm going to give it a go if I can find it.
I don't have PTSD the way you do brother from what I gather reading your posts but I'm also a chronic denier and will live the rest of my days undiagnosed for anything.
Yes, I buy it from Amazon through a company called Plum Flower. Link. It's also manufactured at a Good Manufacturing Practices facility and heavy metals tested. Would love to hear if it helps you.
Thank you for sharing this.