Living With PTSD

I have Complex PTSD due to multiple traumas throughout my life. This can be a real complication to everyday life and can make things very difficult for me to manage on a daily basis. I am not my diagnosis, but I do have to live with the symptoms.

Living with PTSD is very much like walking in a tightrope, over a landmine, while wearing heels and carrying a gigantic bag of bricks. One wrong step and you fall. I'm never sure when and where I will be triggered or what is going to trigger me.

I never know if I'm going to be able to calmly manage being triggered or if I will somehow end up acting "crazy." God knows, I don't mean anything negative by using the term "crazy." It's just that Complex PTSD will definitely make one FEEL crazy, as if they're losing their mind.

With PTSD, I can never tell for sure if I'm overreacting or underreacting to things. It can go either way. Many people, as supportive as they might try to be, do not understand the complexity of PTSD or the symptoms and triggers that go along with it. They often don't understand why we can't just "snap out of it" or "get over it."

The problem with PTSD is that whenever you're triggered, you feel like you're back in whatever situation(s) caused the trauma and it can be difficult to calmly and rationally navigate through it.

Many people with PTSD don't even realize they have it. Those of us that do, and recognize the issues it is causing, may not know how to drag themselves out of it or pull themselves through it.

Life with Complex PTSD is difficult and can be chaotic, which means that those of us with PTSD can come across as "difficult" or chaotic. Trust me, we know how we appear to outsiders. But we're taking it one step at a time, one day at a time.

If someone you know has PTSD, the best way to be supportive or help... Is to be there. Simply be there. If they want to talk, listen and give feedback by acknowledging their emotions or the trauma they have gone through. Don't make judgements on them or how they are handling it.

Encourage them to find positive ways to cope and heal. Don't tell them how to heal, your journey is different than theirs... Even if you also have PTSD. Encourage them to seek professional help and help them find resources, if necessary.

But again, the most important thing when dealing with PTSD or someone who has PTSD is to remember to be patient and that the path to healing is truly one step at a time.