It’s #WorldMentalHealthDay

PTSD COPING MECHANISM THREAD:

I’ve had PTSD for 18yrs and want to share some things I’ve learned from Drs...

I’m going to try to cover everything, I apologize if it’s disjointed.

TW: Self Harm | Drug Use

Let’s start with the morning...
If you have night terrors (flashbacks while asleep) you might wake yourself up by screaming or unable to breath and grasping for air. The latter is the body’s response to trauma and is effectively drowning without water....

Use this combat breathing exercise:
Take a deep breathe (through the nose) as you count to 3, hold that breathe in as you count to 3, exhale as you count to 3, hold as you count to 3, repeat. This alters your brain chemistry and is extremely effective, especially when paired w...

Hugging yourself. Cross your arms flat across your chest and gently hug your shoulders. This will also help change your brain chemistry as it releases the ‘cuddle drug’. You can also squeeze a nearby pet*, pillow, or stuffed animal.
*Lets talk about Emotional Support Pets

Train your pets to comfort you in these times by cuddling them when you’re experiencing an episode and providing continuous stream of treats + verbal validation. My hands shake if a flashback is coming so I would go to my dog during this time for cuddle/training

Okay, back to business. In addition to the breathing exercise + hugging...
Firmly plant your bare feet on the ground (to ground yourself lol) and pick 5 things from your surroundings...this can be extremely difficult to differentiate from past and present so please be gentle +

Patient with yourself. I go for sounds (cars driving by, birds chirping etc) because it’s easier to separate from the flashback. To determine if the sound is happening in present or a phantom noise I move from room to room. Sounds in the present change in volume as I move +

Phantom sounds (whether having a full flashback or not)* do not change in volume no matter where I move to. For years I would hear screaming but because it wasn’t accompanied with a visual flashback I didn’t associate it with my PTSD. These questions helped me realize it was PTSD

1. Does the volume change as you move around or stay the same?
2. Does the phrasing change or are the same words used over and over?
3. Did anyone say this to you or did you say this to anyone else?

During a flashback I talk to myself + ‘hold my hand’. (This takes a lot of practice so pls be gentle w yourself)
I tell myself my age, if I can’t remember my exact age I remind myself I’m an adult. I tell younger me that older me is going to experience this w young me +

That I won’t leave my side. I visualize myself holding my own hand + I tell young me the specifics of what is going to happen for us, I remind them that I won’t leave their side and that we will live through this, I tell them I know because I was there AND STILL I come back every

Time to experience this with them. I tell myself again, that I will not leave my side. I tell them that they are going to feel like they are going to die, and I tell them that it will not be good but that it will be survived. I talk through everything as it happens and I never

Leave young me or let go of young me’s hand. When the event is done I stay w them until I am able to regain focus on the present. I like to look in the mirror as a visual confirmation of my present self. I pick out the sounds outside and do the combat breathing (referenced above)

And then I immediately do something that will help me work my brain away from what’s just happened. Sometimes I have a heavy stream of tears and I just allow them to come and I allow my body to experience the rush of emotions as I’m doing my task (painting, exercise, etc)

I’ll try to add more to this thread later but I’m tired now...

Pls remember to be patience with yourself, PTSD gets easier to life with even though it can feel overwhelming