For those who haven’t heard of it, PTSD stands for post-traumatic stress disorder. This is when an event in your life causes severe physical and mental reactions that are difficult to work through. For some it can take years to heal from the effects of a traumatic event, and some never fully heal because of the impact that it has on their lives.
If you are struggling with PTSD and would like a little more help, try out these simple self-care activities and explore what works best for you.
1. Zero Stimulation Time
The best way to have one of these sessions is to use noise canceling headphones, and avoid any other stimulation from touch, taste, site, or smell unless what you are sensing is comforting and helpful for you.
During these times you do need to communicate with those around you so that they are aware that you have a set time that you need to be in the zone
2. Center Yourself in the Now
One of the biggest problems with post-traumatic stress disorder is that it deals with the past. Now the past is something that, of course, has already happened. Unfortunately our minds take what’s happened in the past and keep it in the present.
When your mind and body are going through an episode, work to put yourself in the now. Centralize your mind and body on what is around you. One of the best ways to do this is to list off the things that you can taste, touch, see, smell, and feel. This forces your mind to come out of the episode and instead recenter on what’s going on in front of you.
3. Take Substances that Contain Indica
There are two major strains of marijuana: indica and sativa. Those who deal with PTSD are often told to use indica in order to abate some of the symptoms and re-center during an episode.
Indica is also commonly used to help decrease the anxiety and stress associated with PTSD, but some strains can be a little too strong. This is why it is important to keep a few bottles of HIBEGONE in your pantry to make sure you stay on the level and able to function.
4. Volunteer at Animal Care Centers
Even if you are a people person, more often than not those with PTSD have found that working with animals decreases their symptoms on a regular basis.
There have been several scientific studies that try to understand the reasons why humans and animals have this effect on one another, but nothing is entirely conclusive. For some reason, working with animals helps to rehabilitate the mind and keep you focused on the here now.
5. Find Safe Spaces
Some people have PTSD that is more so related to escaping or war related occurrences. For those who feel as though they need to escape or go to a different location, you need safe spaces available that allow you to process what is going on.
More often than not this requires communicating with those around you in order to a) find safe spaces and b) help your support team know where you are or might be.
6. Rest and Recuperate
An episode can last anywhere from minutes, to days, and that alone takes a lot of energy to process. When that happens, you have to rest.
Let me repeat that: you must rest.
If you don’t rest and recuperate and take care of yourself, then you aren’t allowing yourself to properly handle your PTSD.
7. Exercise in Your Own Way
For those who suffer with PTSD, it has been found that exercise is one of the best ways to help decrease symptoms and help work out, literally, the emotions and thoughts and images that come to mind.
This can be when you are working through an episode, or processing a previous episode. You do what works for you, just make sure it’s at least 30 minutes of exercise
8. Reach Out to Your Support Team
One of the best things you can do for yourself that is a form of self-care, is reaching out to your support team. These are people who are aware of what you deal with on a regular basis and can be there to support you. Go out to lunch with them, grab a cup of coffee, just to do something with them that gets you out of your normal space.
Conclusion
No matter how you decide to engage in self-care, there are endless ways to help yourself feel better. Sometimes you may need the help of others, and other times it may be just you sitting and listening to music while coloring or painting.
Either direction, this is a form of taking care of yourself when you have to deal with PTSD. Keep these different activities in mind when you are working through an episode, and don’t forget to reach out to those that are on your support team.