Kathie Costos
September 8, 2023
It is a shame that you get blamed for what it did to you. Isn't it time for you to become unashamed of being a survivor of whatever caused #PTSD? It happened to you. You survived it. There is no shame in that.
People will blame you for the way you've changed because they don't understand why you changed. Most of the time, survivors have no clue and cannot begin to help the people around them understand. Fear kind of removes the ability to say the words that you need help and are not doing anything on purpose other than trying to get over what happened. We all want to go back to the way we were before but we need to remind ourselves that whatever we survive in life changes us. No matter what happens to us, good or bad, we change on a daily basis. Even after you end up with PTSD, you are changing on a daily basis too. The thing is, either it is taking control over you or you are taking control over it.
Forget all about the doom and gloom that people say. It leaves you trapped in suffering in silence. There have been many times when you may have been around other people talking about what they think about PTSD. Bet it was all negative, like it isn't real, or even worse, those with it were too weak to handle stuff that happens in life. Spending time listening to them is wasted time. It's much better to spend that time learning what you can about what is causing you so much sadness and then listen to others who did heal.
Forget about investing money in groups claiming to raise awareness that veterans are committing suicide, no matter what number they use. No one needs to be reminded of people not finding the help they need to heal but you do need to be inspired by those that did heal. It's a lot better to find something that works for you. Isn't it?
There are a lot of good groups and sites out there. Make The Connection is from the Veterans Administration and is awesome. Anyone can gain information and inspiration from their videos. If you are not a veteran, you can still hear what others went through and how their lives got better. All you have to do is stop thinking that what they say is only for veterans. PTSD is PTSD no matter what caused it. There are videos from military sexual assault survivors too.
The cause of PTSD is different but the way to heal is universal. You can #takebackyourlife and #defeatptsd. Plus don't forget that it was already lost when you survived the cause of it in the first place.