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Around 1 out of 13 Americans develop PTSD at some time in their lives which is around 6% of the population in the United States. If you are dealing with PTSD, there are ways to properly deal with it and feel better. We have put together this guide to share our top tips to deal with PTSD and start feeling better in no time.
Read on to learn more so that you can feel better ASAP.
Reach Out for Help
Our number 1 tip is to reach out to others for support because PTSD can make you feel disconnected from others. It sometimes is tempting to withdraw from those you love and from social activities. Although withdrawing is tempting you want to stay connected to life and to those that care about you.
Don’t worry we are not saying you have to talk about the trauma if you don’t want to, but companionship is vital for recovery. We recommend joining a support group like PTSD inpatient treatment centers for veterans or volunteering. Doing things like this will help you connect to others and will also help you reclaim a sense of control.
Get Enough Sleep
Not getting enough sleep can really affect those dealing with PTSD. Sleep deprivation will trigger moodiness, anger, and irritability. You want to make sure you aim for at least 7-9 hours of sleep every night.
If you are having a hard time falling asleep, we recommend developing a relaxing bedtime ritual. You can either read something light, watch something funny, or listen to calming music. Try to make your bedroom as dark and as quiet as possible because this is more soothing than a bright, loud room.
Eat a Healthy Diet
Do not start your day by skipping breakfast. Make sure that you eat a healthy breakfast to help keep up your energy. Throughout the day do not skip meals and make sure the foods you eat are balanced and nutritious.
Limit any processed foods as much as possible along with sugar, refined starches, and fried food. These types of food can fluctuate your energy, and they can sometimes cause mood swings as well.
It is best to incorporate plenty of omega-3s because they play a vital role in emotional health. Foods like flaxseed, walnuts and fatty fish will help you with your energy as well. Make sure to not overdo it because there is such a thing as too much omega 3 in your diet.
Learn How to Relax
It is important to learn relaxation techniques to help you relax if you are feeling overwhelmed. There are different techniques you can learn like meditation, deep breathing, and yoga.
Regular meditation is a way to learn how to recognize when your thoughts are dark. Recognizing this ahead of time is a way to control those thoughts, so they don’t get a hold of your emotions.
You can also schedule a weekly massage to help you unwind for the week. Massages help stimulate the lymphatic system and circulation which will encourage calmness.
Try to put your phone away for at least an hour per day if you find yourself glued to your screen. Sometimes this can not only be distracting, but it makes it more difficult to relax when you don’t have any time without it. Using your smartphone in moderation is best.
Exposure Therapy
Exposure therapy is a type of behavioral therapy that helps you face any memories and situations that you find frightening. You learn how to cope with those fears and memories effectively rather than going into a depression or going into hiding.
This type of therapy is very helpful for people dealing with both nightmares and flashbacks. Some therapists will use a virtual reality program that puts you back into the setting where you experienced trauma and slowly teach you ways to cope.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
This is also known as EMDR and it is a combination of exposure therapy along with a series of guided eye movements to help you process traumatic memories. This exposure is used to change how you react to the memories.
Aromatherapy
You can use essential oils to help you relieve anxiety, panic, stress, and fear. We recommend buying a diffuser where you can diffuse a few drops of oils into your space and enjoy the benefits of breathing in these oils.
Oils that can benefit PTSD include bergamot, lavender, frankincense, clary sage, sandalwood, chamomile, and ylang-ylang. Make sure to follow the directions on the bottle so that you don’t overdo it.
Adopt a Pet
Having a dog can help decrease PTSD symptoms because they are very intuitive. Dogs will always care for you and be there when you are feeling down. They are all about serving their owner.
You can look for psychiatric service dogs because they are trained to do certain things to help those dealing with PTSD symptoms. Keep in mind that emotional support animals can help too, but they are not protected by the ADA, so you can’t legally take them everywhere with you.
Medications
Opting to take medications is a personal matter that you should discuss with your doctor if you feel that you can’t deal with your symptoms. When people suffer from PTSD, it is due to an imbalance in neurotransmitters found in the limbic system of the brain.
This is part of the brain that is in charge of our flight or fight responses. When this is out of balance you can feel threatened even when there is no real danger in sight.
Ready to Feel Better?
Now that you learned our top tips on how to properly deal with PTSD, we hope you can start working on yourself and feeling better. There is no reason to have to deal with PTSD on your own, so make sure you find someone you can confide in, to ensure you always have a safe person to reach out to when you are feeling down.
Having this type of security will make a big difference in dealing with your PTSD symptoms.
