If you have been feeling down, sad, or anxious, music can be very powerful in invoking new, positive emotions and can help you to feel better. This can be particularly helpful if dealing with PTSD symptoms and helping you to practice self-care.
I’ve learned that sometimes some of the best self-care is to protect ourselves by protecting our time, our energy, our schedule, our health, our sanity, is to recognize your own limits and to get ok with saying no. You may just find out you get to say “yes!” to things that are most meaningful to you in your life.
Today we are going to focus on the breath. So simple, so basic, but so important. There are a bazillion breathing exercises to find online, in a yoga class, or in a book, but today we’re going to keep it simple. We are just going to focus on two things: breath and sensation. You need no special tools, just yourself and your lungs. Don’t forget your lungs.
For Self-Care Sunday, today we focus on Gratitude. Gratitude is a game changer. This little practice alone is shown to improve mood, decrease depression, and have lasting positive effects. This is helpful if you have PTSD or not.
I don’t know about you, but the past couple of years have kicked my ass and self-care strategies have not been a priority. It’s been a ride, right? By the time you factor in the threat of COVID-19, a change in home responsibilities, figuring out how to run a practice online, 4 kids and their … Read more
Yes, you- the one who has trained hard and works tirelessly in a job most could never do. There is no question that you serve your community with everything you can. But where do you go after a tough run or shift? What happens then? First responders have a higher likelihood of developing PTSD. Don’t suffer alone, effective treatments are available. Read here about PTSD, first responders, and how you can take care of yourself so that you can keep helping others.
Some of the traumatic things you were exposed to probably got better over time, however sometimes there can be events you don’t recover from as expected. Instead, you may feel stuck. You may even go on to develop PTSD. Being a combat vet you were trained to be ready for the unexpected. When the unexpected happened, your training kicked in and you did your job to the best of your ability often without even thinking. But what do you do when the unexpected injured you or one of your brothers? Or took their life? There’s not really any good place to process this stuff while in combat- it’s onto the next mission. While this makes sense to keep you focused, it takes it’s toll over time. You stuff it down, and keep going because that is what you have to do.
Here’s the thing: surviving a sexual assault, maybe a rape, or attempted rape, or other means of sexual violence increases your likelihood of developing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. What this means is those past experiences are negatively impacting your day-to-day life and preventing you from being able to live how you’d like to.
The good news? PTSD is treatable. Yes, you heard me right. No, we can’t delete the bad things that have happened. However, what we can do is control how much those past events impact your life now and your life in the future. There are effective treatments available for you to help you to find hope and get back to living life instead of avoiding it.
PTSD and Avoidance One of the topics that comes up often in PTSD is this idea of avoidance. Avoidance is the conscious or unconscious effort to push away painful thoughts, memories, and emotions, or to avoid people, places, or things that may remind you of past trauma. This makes sense right? If something is painful … Read more
Of of the most researched and effective treatments for PTSD is Prolonged Exposure Therapy, or PE. PE is a treatment I love to offer in my practice because you get to see results quickly, and who doesn’t want that?!