While you don’t need to be in the military or go to war to experience PTSD, it’s common among many of our service members due to the nature of their work. The symptoms of PTSD can make it challenging to keep up with responsibilities at work and home and can even make it difficult to maintain relationships.

The good news is that it’s possible to overcome these challenges and treat the symptoms of PTSD so you can live a fulfilling life. Continue reading to learn more about PTSD, how it affects our service members and veterans, and how you can learn to cope with the condition.

What Is PTSD?

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health disorder that occurs after someone experiences a traumatic event or a series of traumatic events. These events are usually emotionally or physically harmful and can have a long-term effect on a person’s overall well-being.

While fear is normal to experience during and right after a traumatic event, continuing to experience these feelings long after the fact makes the potential for PTSD more likely. PTSD can happen to anyone, regardless of age, gender, location, or social status. Our service members are often exposed to scenarios that increase their risk of developing PTSD.

Symptoms of PTSD

Most people will experience symptoms of PTSD shortly after experiencing a traumatic event, but sometimes the symptoms will take months or years to develop. In order for a person to be diagnosed with PTSD, they must experience symptoms for at least one month and these symptoms must interfere with your life in some way.

Some of the most common symptoms of PTSD include:

●Having nightmares or flashbacks about the event

●Feeling on edge, anxious, or nervous

●Experiencing distressing thoughts and feelings

●Avoiding talking about the traumatic event or visiting the location where it occurred

●Having difficulty getting to sleep and staying asleep

●Experiencing more anger than usual or having angry outbursts

●Engaging in reckless or risky behaviors

●Experiencing negative emotions, such as guilt, shame, or fear

●Isolating oneself from loved ones and peers

●Losing interest in once enjoyable activities

Some people will recover from their symptoms within six months, but others may have symptoms that last well over a year. Others may have symptoms that persist throughout their life if they don’t seek the proper treatment.

How PTSD Affects Our Service Members

PTSD was first referred to as “shell shock” and didn’t become an official mental health diagnosis until 1980. Shell shock was the condition that referred to our troop’s condition after being exposed to traumatic combat scenarios in World War I. Over the years and with more understanding of the condition, the diagnosis evolved into the PTSD we’re familiar with today.

Our service members can develop PTSD for a wide variety of reasons, with the most common being exposure to combat. However, our service members still live lives outside of their work and can be exposed to traumatic scenarios that lead to the development of PTSD.

When one of our troops develops this condition, it can affect their career in many ways, including:

●Inability to focus at work

●Tension at home with loved ones

●Challenges maintaining relationships

●Extreme emotional or physical reactions

●Reckless behavior that interferes with work and life

These challenges can make it difficult to focus on your career, which can stunt your growth without the proper help. It’s important for service members and veterans dealing with PTSD to reach out and get the help they need so they can achieve their professional and personal goals.

Different Methods for Coping With PTSD

There’s always hope for recovery after a traumatic event, and there are many different methods people use to cope with their PTSD. You don’t need to deal with your symptoms alone or without treatment; there are plenty of ways to improve your symptoms so you can continue to live a fulfilling life. Learn more about the different methods for coping with PTSD below.

1. Learn About PTSD and Understand Healing is a Process

Taking some time to learn more about PTSD, common reactions, and the impact it can have on your life can be useful as you learn to navigate the condition. Make an effort to learn about what’s common with PTSD and what signs you should look out for that indicate you need assistance.

The more you learn about PTSD, the easier it will be to realize that you’re not crazy or alone and thousands of other people are going through the same thing. As you learn, you’ll also begin to understand your response to your traumatic experiences, which will make it easier to cope with your symptoms.

It’s also important to acknowledge that recovery from PTSD is a process and won’t happen overnight. Knowing this can make it easier to mark your progress and can help if you feel frustrated during particularly challenging times. Taking the steps to heal your mind after a traumatic event will take time, but trust that it will happen with effort and support. You may even experience fewer symptoms as you heal from and learn to cope with PTSD.

2. Reach Out for Support

Bottling up your feelings is never a good idea and can often lead to worsening symptoms rather than helping alleviate what you’re feeling. You also don’t want to isolate yourself from friends and family who want to support you. The right people will listen to you talk and can offer your advice or help when you need it. Talking to other people about your experiences and emotions can make you feel less isolated and more understood, and it can also help your loved ones navigate interactions with you so they can better support you and your needs.

Don’t be afraid to reach out to your support network when you need help. You can even attend support groups regularly to connect with others who have PTSD, which is an excellent way to receive help while meeting others who understand what you’re going through. Members of your support group can become a part of your personal support network and you can become a part of theirs.

3. Try Out Different Relaxation Methods

PTSD often makes people feel anxious and afraid as a response to their trauma, so it’s important to know how to relax when you encounter moments like these. There are many different techniques you can choose from, and some may work better for you than others. Some methods to try out include:

●Meditation

●Yoga or stretching

●Muscle relaxation exercises

●Hiking or spending time in nature

●Breathing exercises

●Listening to classical or quiet music

While relaxation techniques are helpful, keep in mind that some people may experience more distress when they first start practicing these exercises. You may feel distress when trying to relax at first if you’re focused too much on on your physical sensations and stop paying attention to the world around you. If you’re feeling negative effects when you’re trying to relax, make your attempts in increments you can manage until you start to feel yourself relax. It may help to try other activities along with your relaxation techniques, such as walking, listening to music, or yoga.

4. Participate in Positive Activities

If you’re having a hard time dealing with the emotions or memories of your traumatic experience, it can be helpful to participate in positive activities you enjoy that can help you take your mind off things. Some activities can even be therapeutic, such as art and music. Making time to do activities you enjoy can help improve your mood, which can help ease feelings of anxiety or fear you might feel throughout the day.

Keep in mind that you don’t want to always use distractions as a way to deal with your PTSD. While activities are a great way to cope with uncomfortable or concerning symptoms temporarily, they won’t treat the root of the problem. Make sure you’re also seeking treatment for your symptoms if they become overwhelming

5. Talk to a Professional

One of the best things you can do to cope with PTSD is to seek help from a professional, whether it’s your doctor or a licensed counselor. These individuals have the resources to help you at the highest level and can help you deal with your symptoms. If you notice your symptoms aren’t improving or they’re getting worse over time, you should reach out to a professional who can help. You may be prescribed medication or taken through different types of therapy to help improve your symptoms and overall well-being.

MLC Extends Support to Our Service Members and Veterans

At Military Luggage Company, we understand the challenges our troops and veterans face, including their challenges with PTSD and other mental health conditions. We aim to regularly assist our service members through their challenges in the ways that we can, including through our in-depth blog posts and our podcast episodes, many of which go into detail about our service member’s mental health and strategies for recovery.

We hope to continue to be able to produce this content with the goal of assisting our service members and veterans throughout the challenges in their lives. Keep an eye on our blog for future resources and information that may help you navigate some of the challenges you’ll face during your career.