Coping Mechanisms for PTSD

[SAM55]

As a PTSD sufferer who has spotted that many of us on here also suffer with PTSD, and definitely a trigger for my binge eating, I was wondering whether it would be helpful if we shared our top tips for managing the condition?

My starters for 10 are:

Waking from a nightmare during the night and needing to make touch with reality to get into the present, is to go on Facebook and read through posts, or read through emails from people that I am close to.

Talk it out with someone who 'gets it' - not always possible until I can understand what the trigger was.

A technique I learnt in therapy was to re-configure the scenario so it has a different ending - one we would have wanted, and keep replaying that scenario in the brain so it becomes a familiar scene and I can 'switch' to it when a trigger happens.

If a re-traumatisation persists then attempt to get a change of scenery.

This could be going for a walk, going for a drive, a day out, or getting away to somewhere completely new, sometimes including overnight to reset the brain.

Youth hostelling. Sharing a dormitory (I live alone) greatly lessens my likelihood of having nightmares which I put down to having someone else breathing in the same room.

I would welcome any other suggestions please as I have been struggling with all the workmen coming and going for the past 6 weeks and my coping strategies seem to have gone down the pan.

 

[Mazza]

Wow, it sounds like you have some really strong coping mechanisms @SAM55 and the workmen have thrown you out of kilter.

My OH really suffers with it (ex army) and what works for him consistently is distraction, which I must admit wouldn't be my first choice BUT it's what works for him.

So, can you remove yourself from the situation to gain some perspective? x

 

[SAM55]

Wow, it sounds like you have some really strong coping mechanisms @SAM55 and the workmen have thrown you out of kilter.

My OH really suffers with it (ex army) and what works for him consistently is distraction, which I must admit wouldn't be my first choice BUT it's what works for him.

So, can you remove yourself from the situation to gain some perspective? x

Thanks Mazza. Sorry to hear your OH is a sufferer too.

Distraction works for me sometimes (usually through my voluntary work) but sometimes life (and therapy) can be a bit too much as I have the complex variety which started when I was 4. Too many balls in the air at the moment with the NHS as well as the workmen and waiting to hear about my ESA so it isn't working.

 

[Mazza]

Thanks Mazza. Sorry to hear your OH is a sufferer too.

Distraction works for me sometimes (usually through my voluntary work) but sometimes life (and therapy) can be a bit too much as I have the complex variety which started when I was 4. Too many balls in the air at the moment with the NHS as well as the workmen and waiting to hear about my ESA so it isn't working.

Bless you, the whole system is in a mess at the moment. We have recently won an appeal to get my mother in laws PIP reinstated, this is after her losing her mobility vehicle and virtually becoming a recluse.

Sending you a virtual hug

 

[SAM55]

Bless you, the whole system is in a mess at the moment. We have recently won an appeal to get my mother in laws PIP reinstated, this is after her losing her mobility vehicle and virtually becoming a recluse.

Sending you a virtual hug

Thanks Mazza. I agree, the whole system is in a real mess and i cannot see any end to it for some time. Well done to your MIL on winning her appeal but she should never have had to go through that. Losing my vehicle is my worst nightmare

 

[Mazza]

It took a year to get there but I was determined to get there. It's absolutely disgusting what people are having to endure just to get the help they need and deserve x

 

[FeeBee]

I'm already anxious about my next PIP reassessment next year last year I came back from the assessment to a letter giving me my sleeve date, quite a stressful day! I dread losing it because since I was medically retired PIP is all I have and they've already knocked my mobility down. We should have appealed because they had some stuff wrong in the decision letter but because of WLS I just couldn't face the right. I really admire anyone who does fight back though, the thought makes me want to cry.

Anyway PTSD I sometimes use craft both as a distraction but also sometimes to try and work through my memories and feelings. I'm still in a bad run of nightmares, pretty bad even by my standards, so when I wake in the night I sometimes just pick up my tablet and read because otherwise I am laid in the dark going over and over it in my head. Occasionally I stick a podcast on instead because I have to concentrate on what they're saying. Generally I love meditating too but don't find it helpful when I feel really caught up in it all because rather than calming me down it tends to leave me focusing even more on the thoughts and feelings. The other thing I find really useful are games like solitaire or candy crush type ones because I sort of zone out a bit playing.

 

[starryeyed]

These are really helpful Sam and I may start using some of them. Hope the builders are gone soon? Xx

 

[SAM55]

I'm already anxious about my next PIP reassessment next year last year I came back from the assessment to a letter giving me my sleeve date, quite a stressful day! I dread losing it because since I was medically retired PIP is all I have and they've already knocked my mobility down. We should have appealed because they had some stuff wrong in the decision letter but because of WLS I just couldn't face the right. I really admire anyone who does fight back though, the thought makes me want to cry.

Anyway PTSD I sometimes use craft both as a distraction but also sometimes to try and work through my memories and feelings. I'm still in a bad run of nightmares, pretty bad even by my standards, so when I wake in the night I sometimes just pick up my tablet and read because otherwise I am laid in the dark going over and over it in my head. Occasionally I stick a podcast on instead because I have to concentrate on what they're saying. Generally I love meditating too but don't find it helpful when I feel really caught up in it all because rather than calming me down it tends to leave me focusing even more on the thoughts and feelings. The other thing I find really useful are games like solitaire or candy crush type ones because I sort of zone out a bit playing.

Thanks for sharing your tips Fee. I agree about the meditating - first time I have found someone who gets that, as it is the biggest thing I struggle with with meditating, and tutors just don't get it!

It is definitely worth fighting as I have won two appeals on ESA. Not easy, and I did need support. Maybe nearer the time I can point you in the right direction of where you can access some.

In the meantime have a look at this site, who may be able to offer you some financial support. Elizabeth Finn, who are part of Turn2Us have supported me for a few years now. Eligibility for them is based on the category of work you have done, but there are others on there too. https://www.turn2us.org.uk/. There is also a benefits calculator.
xx