PTSD and Self-Image - starryCandy6123

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today, I'm happy to share with you a post about the connection between PTSD and self-image and what you can do to improve your situation, created by @starryCandy6123. Please share your thoughts on the topic and your appreciation for Candy in the comments!

PTSD and Self-Image - starryCandy6123

People who have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often have problems with low self-esteem, which can have a dramatic strain on their life, and relationships everyday. Also, a big part of this condition is of course depression. PTSD brings about feelings of not being good enough, and those feelings can have an impact on the way you see the world and the way you feel.

PTSD and its side effects

PTSD can cause side effects, such as disruptions to the way you go about your daily life, it can upset your love life and other relationships, which leads to depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem, it can even cause physical symptoms like hair loss (which is temporary). These side effects can either be felt on their own or with a combination, which can make life very difficult to get a hold of, coupled with intrusive thoughts that can come in an instance with such power, which can be hard to control. To overcome these feelings and rebuild your confidence. There are ways to beat these feelings.

Steps you can take

While PTSD can take months to years to overcome, there are some steps you can take to positively encourage a healthier self-esteem and a happier you. If you are looking for a way to rebuild your life, firstly, you have to see the willingness within you, that you are willing to fight. You can say well done to yourself. There are many other things you can do to rebuild your life.

One of the best ways is to deal with your negative thoughts by challenging such feelings of feeling unworthy, the things that challenge your relationships with family and friends.

Negative thoughts can have a great effect on you, and your relationship, even though everyone has negative thoughts. But the way to change them is by recognizing/trying to understand why they appear and what kind of situation brought them to light.

When these feelings are being felt by yourself, you can ask yourself:

• Is this true?
• If I had a friend with these, what would I tell them?

These thoughts can be challenged, when you know they are not true, you can take them apart. Accept that such feelings are not true, and when they come you can write down how you overcame them.

You don't have to feel guilty for those feelings, instead you can try to think in a positive way by changing them to positive thoughts.

Finding the positive in your day

Always look for something positive in your day, and try to change your thoughts to change how your brain works. If possible, seek the help of a professional, there are many different therapies, which have proved effective, in a short time.

• Exercise can build the feel-good factor within the body.
• Yoga can also be useful in helping with anxiety and depression.
• Reducing the amount of caffeine intake might reduce the symptoms.

Taking care of yourself

Finally, the last and most important aspect is taking care of your body while taking care of your mind. Such as

• reading your favourite book,
• going for a run,
• spending 10 minutes on your appearance in the morning, which will set you up for the day,
• taking notes of what you did that day and how it made you feel.

If after time it is still no better, then you might profit from seeing a professional.

Resource: Start Your PACEs Initiative! | PACEsConnection

This post was written by a member of the Trauma Sub-Community Writing Team. You can find a masterpost with all the posts of this team linked here. If you want to join the team, please apply here. Also, please comment if you want to be tagged in future posts.