In a previous post, I shared many resources to help cope with and manage bipolar disorder. At the level of “superpower” in living with and managing any mental illness is self-awareness. Next to acceptance, being self-aware is the most important facet in treating Post Traumatic Stess Disorder (PTSD).

This post will be peppered with quotes from the book, The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel A. van der Kolk. I HIGHLY encourage you read this book!

As someone who lives with both bipolar 1 disorder and combat related post traumatic stress, I’m not a fan of labels. In my opinion, labels are better suited for food than they are humans. While labels are great at helping us create categories to aid us in taxonomy, they serve to stereotype and stigmatize when attached to humans.

Accept it to Understand It

In managing our mental illness, it’s important to practice acceptance without becoming our “label.” We HAVE a mental illness, we’re NOT a mental illness. In this way, we must protect our identity and personality.

The main reason why acceptance is necessary is because without acceptance, it’s impossible to gain understanding; and understanding breeds awareness. Both understanding and self-awareness are necessary ingedients for managing our mental health.

In treatment, we must not be passive, we need to be proactive. In treating out mental illness, we have to stop playing checkers from our heels and start playing chess from our toes. I use this analogy because in order to be good at chess, you have to learn to look at the board and think moves ahead.

Our PTSD requires us to have an accurate pulse on how environments, emotional climates, and different personalities may affect us. For me personally, when certain environmental conditions are met, I need to have a plan to cope/know when and how to leave.

Befriending the Body

If I’m at a party and people are drinking, I need to pay attention to how my body is responding. Combat related PTSD leads to hyper-vigilance where I’m constantly scanning for threats and remain ready to neutralize them at a moments notice. Sometimes this happens so fast that I’m not fully cognizant of my response. I move into action and ask questions later.

“Trauma victims cannot recover until they become familiar with and befriend the sensations in their bodies. Being frightened means that you live in a body that is always on guard. Angry people live in angry bodies. The bodies of child-abuse victims are tense and defensive until they find a way to relax and feel safe. In order to change, people need to become aware of their sensations and the way that their bodies interact with the world around them. Physical self-awareness is the first step in releasing the tyranny of the past.”

― Bessel A. van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma

If a certain personality becomes beligerent and makes me uneasy, is it best for me to leave? What if my friends or family members don’t want to leave? I have to plan ahead and try to predict how things can/may go. If I don’t, myself or others may get hurt and it may not be worth the risk.

5 Simple Steps

It starts with self-awareness that breeds situational awareness.

1. Acceptance
2. Understanding
3. Self-Awareness
4. Situational Awareness
5. Seek Solutions

We have to have an accurate pulse on ourselves and our environment at all times. This does not mean shelling up and self-isolating because of how things might go. We still need to function and have a quality of life. Planning and prudence go a long way. Rely on your tools.

“Being able to feel safe with other people is probably the single most important aspect of mental health; safe connections are fundamental to meaningful and satisfying lives.”

― Bessel A. van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma

Do we need a service dog? Do we need to illicite the help of a close family member or friend that makes us feel comfortable? Are we spending a certain amount of time each week increasing our understanding of coping mechanisms and treatment options. What does the modern science say about my illness? Don’t lay down to it, lean in!

The Pill of Prevention

Therapy is great when we’re in crisis and for as need maintenance in treating our illness. Medications are great too, but it’s important to understand that their not an “end all, be all” in and of themselves. By far though, the greatest pill is the pill of prevention.

With PTSD, we can’t always control how our bodies respond to certain emotional and environmental triggers, but we can control what coping mechanisms and strategies we respond with.

Once again, know your tools and when to use them. Don’t be afraid to leave a bad environment – even if it seems socially inconvenient.

“As I often tell my students, the two most important phrases in therapy, as in yoga, are “Notice that” and “What happens next?” Once you start approaching your body with curiosity rather than with fear, everything shifts.”

― Bessel A. van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma

Never underestimate a well-deployed step outside to get a quick “beather.” Find a familiar landmark to focus on. If it’s dark out, focus on a certain star in the sky and remind yourself how small you are. This is a healthy distraction. Do three deep breaths – in through your nose and out through your mouth (be aware you may get dizzy). Take a knee if you need to.

If new to you, here are 10 Breathing Techniques for Stress Relief and More.

Healthy Forms of Escapism

If your home is a stressful environment that you can’t always escape from, consider getting a virtual reality (VR) headset. VR has been proven to be a therapeutic outlet for those with PTSD. This is called Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET).

Makes sense, if you can’t physically escape an environment, find other healthy forms of escapism. VR, books, movies, video games etc.

If you’re a veteran, be aware of how certain games may be unhealthy for you to play. For instance, it may be better for you to stay clear of combat related games. This is true for me. One time, I watched an episode of the walking dead and it induced a bad chain of triggers. I also stay clear of war content.

Confident, Curious, Calm

The key to keeping our PTSD INorder is to not cave to the fear of the unknowns, but to, in the face of them, be confident in our resources. To not be afraid, but to be curious. Curious about unique and exciting ways to cope and improve the quality of our lives. If we’re confident in our resources and curious about how things can/will go, we can find calm above the noise.

I assure you, not only is there hope for conditions to improve, but there’s also greater measures of understanding, compassion, and empathy for yourself and others to experience and look forward to.

Over the course of the last 20 years, I’ve gradually been able to expose myself to different environments and situations that used to cripple me. In many cases, and much to my surprise, those environments and situations have been better off for me being there.

There’s nothing more gratifying than facing a situation that made me nervous and hearing someone else say, “I’m so glad you came!”!

If you take nothing else from this post… take courage! You’re not alone and there’s no lack of resources, only a lack of resourcefulness.

Don’t Leave Me Hangin’!

Let me know in the comments below what resources, coping mechanisms, and strategies have been most helpful for you. If you’d like to receive more great content like this directly to your inbox, make sure to subscribe/follow.

I’d love to hear from you! If you have questions, would just like to say hi, or have a good joke to share with me, feel free to reach out to me at info@danielfortune.blog. When time permits, I personally respond to each and every email I receive.