Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychological disorder that is triggered by a traumatic experience or extreme situation. It can occur both after having witnessed that type of experience, as well as having lived it firsthand.
This disorder affects the daily lives of people who suffer from it, to the point that it harms their personal development and social relationships.
How does PTSD affect life?
- Problems in academic and professional life derived from concentration difficulties and anxiety attacks.
- It hinders personal and romantic relationships. There are studies that indicate that people who suffer from PTSD are more prone to marital conflict.
- Stress pictures that alter physical and psychological health.
The most common PTSD symptoms
Avoidance symptoms
People who suffer from this disorder avoid everything related to the origin of the trauma: people, objects, places, etc. Exposing yourself to any of these stimuli can lead to relapses. These avoidant behaviors can lead to the person’s isolation and feelings of loneliness that can have dangerous consequences.
intrusive memories
This is one of the classic symptoms of PTSD. These are triggering memories (flashbacks, recurring images, details of the traumatic event…), since they mentally transport the person to the situation that caused the disorder. These traumatic memories can cause borderline reactions, with increased stress, anxiety, and negative emotions.
Negative thoughts and moods
PTSD can cause feelings of hopelessness, guilt, lack of motivation, emotional numbness, trouble feeling joy, etc. In certain cases, mood changes and fatal thoughts are not directly related to the event, but rather to the repression of memories that occurs in subjects with PTSD.
Symptoms of excitement
This disorder is also characterized by changes in behavior and the way the individual reacts. For example: habitual scares and shocks, difficulty falling asleep, concentration problems, mood swings, self-destructive behaviors, irritability…
Others
Other clinical signs of PTSD can be nightmares, suicidal ideations, feelings of shame, etc.
How to overcome these symptoms and PTSD
There are several alternatives to face this problem and overcome it:
Mindfulness Techniques
“Mindfulness” techniques are very useful to counteract the symptoms associated with PTSD in the short and long term. It involves focusing on the present experience with the acceptance of one’s own thoughts and sensations. Learn to be a witness, without judging, of your own emotions, manage to dissociate yourself from them; learn to identify them, fully accept them as a preliminary step for reflection and manage to redirect them.
Some beneficial techniques can be the practice of yoga, meditation and conscious breathing exercises.
Distractions
Obviously, distraction is very convenient to oxygenate and distance yourself from the problem. Distractions can be very diverse: from work itself to playing sports, hobbies, going out with other people, etc. We always talk about healthy distractions, of course. Substance use and abuse, gambling, or self-destructive behaviors are absolutely counterproductive.
Healthy processing of experiences
To overcome the traumatic event and for recovery to prosper, it is essential to process these experiences or emotions in a healthy way. Instead of trying to avoid or repress them, be able to talk about them with relative calm and calm, get them out so they don’t stay inside. This is a decisive first step, which can tackle the symptoms and be beneficial for the future.
A healthy lifestyle
Practicing daily exercise, following a balanced diet, and avoiding toxic substances are essential factors for recovery from PTSD.
Therapy
Submitting to can help the person deal with the problem in the most appropriate way. There are different approaches that can be very useful. For example, la and el are two types of treatments validated by NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) to address this disorder.
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