7 Coping strategies for PTSD that work for me.

I was recently talking to someone about some of the strategies I have used to help me process and deal with the traumas in my past. In no way am I protesting to be anyone’s therapist in the following comments, but hopefully someone can find comfort in utilizing some of these strategies. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder commonly just called PTSD is a very complicated disorder even for professionals in the field. It’s complicated because so many of the symptoms overlap into other disorders, and sometimes can lead to a misdiagnosis.

WHO CAN HAVE PTSD?

Simply put, anyone who experiences one or multiple traumatic events is at risk for developing symptoms of PTSD. There are different levels of PTSD, and everyone experiences it slightly different, with different triggers and stressors. Examples of people who may develop PTSD are those survivors of war, combat, natural disasters, floods, assault of all kinds, abuse, oppression, infertility, health complications, injuries, childhood abuse, trauma of any kind, rape, domestic violence, traumatic loss, and the list goes on (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Yes, it can be discouraging that some of these may be unavoidable for some people, which is the reason for self-care, and strategies to help us process these experiences in a more healthy-healing manor.

There may be some people who experience resiliency through a trauma, and the trauma does not result in PTSD. Kinda like when a toddler smacks their head into the table and cries, yet another time, they smack their head and it doesn’t even phase them. Traumatic experiences can have similar effects for us; sometimes we immediately feel the pain and fall apart; sometimes we’re able to brush it off right away, but feel the pain later; other times we aren’t even phased by the event.

There are so many factors that go into why we react differently to different trauma/situations, why two people in the same group, experiencing the same trauma come back with one having PTSD and the other fine. There are so many studies to try to understand what is the difference in this resiliency so that we can help people be resilient, rather then focus only on treatment afterwards.

HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU ARE STRUGGLING WITH PTSD?

A great sign is having intrusive thoughts, images, feelings, or some way you’re re-living the event, perhaps even in nightmares or upsetting dreams, but they’re thoughts, feelings, emotions that you are avoiding. Panic attacks is another sure sign you may be experiencing PTSD or anxiety.

Commonly people will experience negative thought processes and guilty feelings such as, “I should have prevented it”. Some also have physical symptoms that manifest, like an exaggerated startle response, racing heart, shortness of breath, being easily annoyed, irritable, anxious, reckless behavior, trouble concentrating, and insomnia in a person who’s experienced trauma,  which can all be signs of PTSD (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). According to the DSM-V some people even experience amnesia to certain aspects of the trauma; others become emotionally numb, struggling to feel love or experience joy.

Again, do not use this as your own personal evaluation to play doctor, if you are struggling, I highly recommend you seek professional help. Furthermore, PTSD does not only happen for those who directly experienced the trauma, you could be effected if you witnessed the trauma, or if a close loved one experienced the trauma (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). If you feel you could benefit from professional help, I highly recommend you talk to your doctor, but the following is strategies I have used to help me through some of the symptoms of PTSD.

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7 COPING STRATEGIES FOR PTSD

1. BREATHING

This is a huge coping strategy that I use almost DAILY. Learn how to slow your breathing down. You may not realize how many times your heart begins to race, or the little anxiety-filled panic attacks you experience in a day. But do a self check at least 2x’s in the middle of you busy time during the day. Do you feel tense? Do you feel stressed? Do you feel irritable? Do you feel overwhelmed? Whether you feel any of these, others, or nothing just take a moment to take 10 slow deep breaths. This will not only help you as a coping strategy for PTSD, but also return flow of oxygen to your organs, and improve your energy and mood.

Everyone has a deep breathing strategy that works for them. So try a few and see what you like. Usually for myself, I take about a 4-count deep breath in……hold it 4-counts……breath out 4 counts. Sometimes I count and sometimes I don’t, but it usually only takes 3-5 minutes to take a moment for a recharge. Sometimes, I struggle slowing my breath down right away and can’t hold the full 4 counts without struggling. BUT I still focus on my breathing, and bring my life goal down to just getting through those 10 breaths. After I get through them, I know I can get through the rest of the day. The same for you, whatever is ailing you, what ever is overwhelming, let it go, and all you need to focus on is getting through 10 slow deep breaths, then go back and do life. Repeat throughout the day as needed. Let me know if this works for you to?

2. VIEW IT LIKE A TRAIN

Those thoughts, images, stressors, etc. may come up at any time in your brain. There is not a warning…bamm… you are now there again, whether it be with the smell, the image, the feeling, the thoughts, the story, all of it…. you are there. Instinct may tell you to run, avoid it, get back to life. BUT I can tell you from experience that shoving it in a closet will get you through the day, but eventually that closet will fill up… when it does, and the door bursts open, you will have your own personal mental health crisis trying to bring yourself back to homeostasis. Either shoving it all back in there, or actually facing the issues. So this strategy of viewing it like a train has helped me take a moment, when the moment arises, to process some of the past.

So again, when those thoughts come up and you are there in that moment, allow yourself to be there. Get off the train stop and look around, acknowledge that whatever it is, was hard for you, that it sucked, that it was traumatic, give yourself a time limit 2-8 mins –how ever long you can be there before it’s to hard to get back on that train and your stuck there– BUT get back on that train, and bring yourself back to your life now.

Review your “now life”, ground yourself in your life now, you are safe, that trauma is gone, you are moving forward, even if it’s baby steps, even if its 2 steps back 3 steps forward, even if its 5 steps back and you still need to go forward, you are still progressing. Even if your life is not better or where you want it to be you are still not where you were. Of course, this is a different concept for everyone and the varying traumatic experiences we all face.

So to give an example: I am doing life, going through a random normal day, someone says something that’s triggering to me and reminds me of a beating I experienced in my youth. Utilizing the train strategy, I take a moment to acknowledge that beating really sucked, it hurt, I feel that pain again, but then I leave it there in the past, get BACK ON THE TRAIN, and come to my life NOW. I am not getting beat anymore, the man who beat me is not even in my life anymore, I am struggling, but I am struggling forward, and that’s good enough. I don’t throw the memory away, I leave it at that train stop. I can go back and revisit anytime. BUT I do not need to carry that pain with me every day, and neither do you!

3. GROUNDING TECHNIQUE

This strategy is often referred to in the clinical setting, but what does it mean? Actually, it’s very similar to the TRAIN RIDE strategy, grounding helps you focus on the present. When the negative symptoms of PTSD are taking you down memory lane, BRING YOURSELF BACK TO NOW USING GROUNDING. Use your 5 senses to bring you into the moment you are experiencing right now.

Look around your surroundings, bring yourself into the moment, notice the people, the colors, the shapes of things, make it more real. You can touch objects around you, describe them for example “I am sitting on a gray couch in my living room, and the fabric feels…..”. What can you smell around you, what can you hear? Notice your body, how do your clothes feel on your skin, are you sitting or standing, how do your feet feel on the ground? Pinch yourself if you have to. Stand up, walk around, whatever you need to do to come back into this very moment you are in.

Myself, I utilize a 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 grounding strategy that uses all my senses to bring me back

• 5 things you can SEE
• 4 things you can HEAR
• 3 things you can TOUCH
• 2 things you can FEEL (wind, hair flowing, sitting, feet on the ground, etc.)
• 1 thing you can SMELL

This may sound weird, but for those of us who have experienced panic attacks, or other anxiety filled symptoms this does work.

4. POSITIVE COPING STATEMENTS

This also is something I utilize in the train example to help get me off the train in my NOW life. Positive coping statements can be ones you have prepared for when the moment arises, or ones you take time to think about in the moment. Personally, I prepared mine, wrote them down, and would actually read them in my notes on my phone when I needed them. But make sure they are truthful statements for you.

Some generic examples:

• “I am (your name), I am safe now, this is just a memory, that was then, this is not my life now. I am in (wherever you are) and the date is (date). This flashback or feeling is from the past, and will not stay in my present.”
• “It’s natural for these memories to come up, they happened, but they are not my life anymore.”
• “I am in a panic because I am remembering what happened, but there is not real danger now.”
• “This will pass, I can be angry, anxious, sad, hurt, AND still deal with this.”
• “I have done hard things, I can do this!”
• “The feelings I am having don’t seem to match what is actually happening, there may be something triggering me, I will just move forward, and get through this.”
• “This is really (uncomfortable/hard/painful/sad/etc), but I have the skills to get through it.”
• “I am safe now, and this will pass. I have survived this before, because I am here now. I am just going to let this pass through my body.”

 5. STOP

Yes, the strategy is to tell yourself to “STOP”! Stop yourself mid-thought when you realize your are heading down a rabbit hole of negativity and negative self-thoughts. Remind yourself that “these thoughts are not good for me and I have decided move in a different direction and think differently.” Literally, say “STOP” to yourself followed by the next statement. This will get easier and you will find that you pick positive thinking strategies more often without having to say “STOP”. After you have captured the attention of your subconscious then pick 3 positive statements to say to yourself. You can pick from the positive statements above, or write your own.

I will be honest, one I use a lot is

“STOP, we are not going to think like this, it does not get you where you want to be in life, and you may feel upset by this, but we still have life to do, and we need you to think more positive. You are not stupid, maybe what you did wasn’t the best idea, but you are not stupid! It’s ok if you are not the best at things, you are learning, you are trying, you are improving, and that’s enough! Now you’re going to smile, remind yourself that you have done hard things, and we’re gonna move forward with a more positive outlook.”

YES, I HAVE SAID THESE VERY WORDS TO MYSELF MULTIPLE TIMES. I know this makes me exposed, and probably look more weak to some, but I share this vulnerability, because I want to tell you that IT WORKS. This technique has gotten me through so many self-doubts in my life. Even just driving down the street and having to take a moment to remind myself “I am not stupid”.

6. POSITIVE ACTIVITY

What is something you enjoy, or used to enjoy if you struggle feeling joy right now?

Examples: listening to music, walk in nature, go to a movie, sit in nature, watch the birds, try a new restuarant, try a new dish, spend time with loved ones, take a long bath, get nails done, get your hair done, get a massage, watch a game, watch your favorite TV show (but don’t get stuck on the couch), read a book (even if you can’t focus on it), go in nature, watch a waterfall, plan a vacation, the list goes on and can be in anyone’s price range/budget.

Here’s another area I will share my vulnerabilities… I have had many times in my life where I literally cannot remember what I did for fun. I could not even remember what was fun, because everything I thought of did not sound fun. One time was right after I left the order (polygamy), you would think I was having a party to be out of that place, but actually I really, really, really, super really, struggled. Nothing was fun anymore, because I had no one to share my life with, my family was gone.

More recently, I experienced this again with severe emotional postpartum issues. I had a wonderful beautiful family I was sharing my life with, but I honestly could not feel joy. I remember asking my husband “What did I used to do for fun?” “What used to make me feel happy?” Aside from holding and hugging my kids and husband, nothing else seemed to have a point. Nothing was fun, and I mean NOTHING. Sounds like a pretty dark place, but it was , and it was scary to be there. I looked at photos of me smiling and knew that I enjoyed my life, I just did not know how to feel that joy.

So I set out to use this strategy of POSITIVE ACTIVITY. Make a list of things you used to enjoy, things you might enjoy, things you can do for others that may help you feel joy in brightening someone else’s day. Make a list of at least 10 things that are doable for you and your life/budget. Then make a decision to accomplish those things. Depending how much you are struggling, could be do one a day, one a week, or you could do them all in one week. BUT the point is to start doing the things that brought you joy, and the connections in your brain will reconnect to bring those feelings of joy back…. this is probably where the statement “fake it till you make it” came from.

7. EXERCISE AND EATING HEALTHY

I know another thing telling us to be healthy! No this does not mean count your calories, and become a clean eating gym rat. It can actually go hand-in-hand with POSITIVE ACTIVITY, but this focuses more on the physical activities of positive activity. Make sure you have physical activities that releases those happy hormones. Does not have to be intense exercise and training, it can be a simple walk, and if today your BIG accomplishment is a shower, well take the WIN.

When you have the energy and motivation set a workout routine and follow through. Something about the chemicals and hormones that are naturally released in our bodies during exercise help us just do life better. Remember talking about resiliency at the beginning of this post? Those chemicals and hormones help you to be resilient and ready for things that come up…. you will find over time, that you are handling PTSD symptoms better.

Eating healthy can have so many messages, but simply work on not emotionally eating. Have less processed things, and more natural clean foods. BUT this is not for the skinny body, its to limit the fatigue and sugar/carb crashes that do not help when you are struggling with depression.

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For all of these, you do NOT need to pull out the journal, find a place to sit, schedule a moment for it…. you can do any of them and all of them right where you are in your life. There may be some practice in the beginning, but soon it becomes second nature to bring yourself back. I have tried them all, and find them all to be useful at different times. I recommend you feel your emotional tool bag with multiple tools and strategies to help you because not every strategy works for every situation.

There is HOPE, reach out and find support. In fact, share below if you’ve tried any of these strategies, and if they’ve worked for you.

References/Resources:

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.
The Cognitive Behavioral Coping Skills Workbook for PTSD: Overcome Fear and Anxiety and Reclaim Your Life
The Trauma Tool Kit: Healing PTSD from the Inside Out