Post-traumatic Stress Disorder is a mental condition where a person suffers from trauma due to some life-threatening event like combat, a natural disaster, a car accident, or sexual assault. A person suffering from PTSD will have memories that will upset them so much that it begins to affect their normal functioning. The person will find it hard to sleep, and the thoughts of the accident will keep occurring in their mind. People may not be able to work because their mind will be captivated by the thoughts of the event that gives them stress. PTSD can happen to anyone and factors like previous exposure to trauma, age, and gender affect whether a person will develop PTSD or not. So, if you have Post-traumatic Stress Disorder then how do you deal with it? How should a person deal with PTSD?
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder is caused when a person goes through a trauma which is a result of extreme stress. Prolonged stress can lead to mental disorders and stress can kill a person as well. There are people who have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and when they do not find an object in the manner they want it, it gives them a lot of stress. They can become anxious or aggressive. What to do if your partner is suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder? It is not easy to deal with a disorder, and disorders like PTSD can be very dangerous. But how to know if a person is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder? Let us know a little about its symptoms. The symptoms of PTSD may not appear until months or years later. If the symptoms last longer than a month and cause you great distress, then you might have PTSD.
If a person relives the traumatic event, has bad memories or nightmares about the event then they may have post-traumatic stress disorder. The person may have flashbacks of the event. When a person goes through stress they try to avoid it. People who are going through a trauma will try to avoid situations or people that might remind them of the event. People stop interacting with other people who may talk or remind them of the stressful event. They start staying indoors to avoid any such situation where they may have to face their fear. The stressful event invokes fear in the person. A lot of people have a fear of failure which bars them from functioning properly. If the person has distorted beliefs about oneself or others, is going through fear, horror, anger or guilt then the chances of PTSD increase. The person with PTSD loses interest from all the activities and they do not participate or enjoy doing anything. They detach themselves from other people and start feeling comfortable in solitude. Such people have episodes of a sudden outburst of anger and they behave recklessly or hurt themselves. Now, if you have observed all these symptoms, then you may be suffering from a post-traumatic stress disorder. Let us explore how to deal with PTSD.
#1. Seek Professional Help
If you want to get back to your normal life as it was before the traumatic event, then you will have to get professional help. A person can fight symptoms of depression on their own but to fight Post-traumatic Stress Disorder one will require professional help because to fight such a disorder medications will be needed. A psychiatrist will prescribe medications like serotonin reuptake inhibitors or antidepressants, mood stabilizers and other drugs that may help. Always take the medicines as prescribed by the therapist because all these medications have side effects and their intake in a large quantity or for a long time can make the person addicted to them. Visit a therapist who will help you talk about the things that stress you and they will counsel you on the ways to deal with the stress.
#2. Join Support Groups
There are a lot of support groups that help the people going through some stress or disorder. These groups involve people with the same interest and issues and fight their problems collectively. Every person needs support from other people, and when they do not open up with their families or friends, they find it easier to talk to strangers. Talking to strangers about their issues helps because the strangers will not judge them and all the people have same problems. The person believes that the others will understand because they are going through the same stress which others might not. When people share their feelings and it’s effect on their life they realize that their disease or disorder has been interfering with their life and they have not grown since. It encourages them to change the way they are living their life.
#3. Learn About PTSD
In order to deal with PTSD, a person should learn about their disorder. When you know about the disorder like its causes, symptoms then they will be able to deal with it as well. Unless you have enough knowledge about something, you cannot control it. Study about PTSD and talk to the people who have suffered from the disorder. Try to know how they recovered and what should you do personally to deal with PTSD. Talk to the therapist or the psychiatrist to acquire information about the disorder and if you succeed in overcoming the disorder, then you can help other people suffering from the disorder.
#4. Maintain Your Health
When a person goes through post-traumatic stress disorder, they engage themselves in self-destructive thoughts. They stop reacting to people’s calls and they become inactive. The inactivity deteriorates their health. There is a loss of body weight and they become prone to catching ailments that may be chronic in nature. Start exercising and meditating to get rid of lethargy and inappropriate thoughts. All of the negative thoughts are responsible for the fall in the health of the person and, therefore, it is important to take care of the body, mind, and soul. If you connect with yourself spiritually, then it will be easier to overcome PTSD. Avoid over-thinking as it makes you even sadder and melancholic.
#5. Find A Vent For Your Emotions
People become depressive and they succumb to trauma because they do not let their emotions out. When a person does not find an outlet for their feelings, then stress starts to build in their mind. They would try to handle the stress alone, but sharing is very essential. One should never keep their anger, or pain inside. Every time you will keep an emotion inside yourself it will keep on piling up. It would become tough to get rid of that pile all at once. The burden of the emotions will lead to a rise of more negative thoughts that will harm the body and the mind. Talk to your friends or family but avoid living with the stress. If you cannot share it with a person, then write it down somewhere but find a vent for your emotions.
Are you suffering from PTSD? How do you deal with PTSD? Share your experiences with us through the comments section below.
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