When a traumatic event occurs, the body’s natural “fight-or-flight” response is triggered to help avoid danger. When the risk and trauma pass, the body usually moves on naturally, and that fearful stress reaction goes away. For some, the trauma is too overwhelming and stays in the brain, repeatedly replaying, causing the sympathetic nervous system to remain alert as if the danger was still there. When trauma is unresolved, it can develop into post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a mental health disorder that can interfere with daily functioning. Due to the frequency with which trauma can lead to substance use, PTSD is also a commonly co-occurring disorder with substance use disorders.
Finding Healthy Ways to Cope With PTSD
Living with PTSD can be very challenging. Symptoms can be anywhere from mild to severely debilitating. You may avoid people, places, or events that remind you of your trauma. You may have bad dreams, flashbacks, feel highly anxious, have difficulty sleeping, or have angry outbursts. You may also have feelings of guilt or blame, negative thoughts, be disinterested in preferred activities, or have trouble remembering things about the traumatic event(s).
Others may struggle to understand your behaviors, which can be very isolating. You might also struggle to understand your behaviors and self-isolate because of the symptoms or how others perceive you. There is a need to find healthy ways to cope with PTSD so that you can achieve a sense of wellness and function as peacefully as possible. The following are some suggestions on how to healthily cope with PTSD:
#1. Talk Therapy
Finding a therapist to talk to about your PTSD can help you manage your symptoms more effectively. Therapy can include learning more about what PTSD is and how to recognize the things that trigger your symptoms and behaviors. When working with a therapist, you can learn what works for you in your specific situation to help manage your particular triggers and symptoms. You may also learn tools to help you with anger issues or how to overcome other specific issues like flashbacks, sleep disturbances, or the all-encompassing burden of guilt.
A therapist can also help you with life problems related to your PTSD. You may discuss difficulties with family, your job or school, or social issues that you may have. Your therapist can offer suggestions and guidance with specific problems and tools to help you cope with different areas of your life as you learn to manage your PTSD.
#2. Mindfulness-Based Exercises
One of the critical components of PTSD is that the brain is stuck in the past. Mindfulness is a practice that helps you train your brain to focus on the present moment, making mindfulness-based exercises very effective in helping you to cope with PTSD. Mindfulness involves being aware of what is happening in the moment, whether it is a sensation, an emotion, or an experience. You are not distracted by the past or by what you think about what is happening; you simply notice what is happening.
The other mindfulness piece is noticing and accepting what is happening without judgment, including your thoughts and feelings. If you are feeling anger, you are not bad or wrong for feeling that way- you are just angry. If you feel afraid, you do not need to be ashamed or feel wrong for being afraid. Just notice that you are experiencing fear.
Being consciously mindful takes time to learn, but as you practice, your mind will strengthen and you will find it easier to push away distractions and be present without judgment. Mindfulness can help you manage symptoms like avoidance. Rather than judging your emotions when they arise and trying to escape them, you can simply notice them and allow them to be while remaining present.
#3. Breathing Exercises
Like mindfulness, breathing exercises can help you change your focus from intense emotions like fear or anger or past trauma and help you instead think about your breathing. By focusing on your breathing, you maintain an awareness of your body. Breathing exercises help regulate your emotions and stop your body from reacting when your feelings are on overdrive.
By simply taking deep breaths or doing more specific breathing exercises, you can also help relieve stress. Breathing helps to calm your body and offers both mental and physical relaxation. When used during crisis moments, breathing can help deactivate your body’s stress response system and help you to think before you act rather than act impulsively.
#4. Practice Self-Care
Taking time for yourself every day to do something that makes you thrive is self-care. Self-care does not mean you have to spend money or use up a significant amount of time. However, taking time out of your day to do something that inspires you and makes you feel alive can help you as you try to cope with PTSD. Taking time for yourself lets you and everyone else know that you matter and are worth making and taking time for. Doing something that interests you, fuels your passion, and gives you joy will help you stay motivated and get through each day.
There are many different ideas for daily self-care, but choosing what you do is very individual. Here are some ideas to help you think about what might make you feel alive:
- Read that book you have been wanting to read.
- Take a walk in nature and notice everything you see.
- Write your story—journal, write a book, or write a graphic novel or comic book.
- Learn how to cook or try new foods.
- Be creative—draw, paint, sculpt or express yourself in your medium.
- Learn a new language—use an app or take a class.
- Go fishing, hunting, running, or cycling.
- Take a class at the local community college and learn something new.
- Find a new hobby like photography or woodworking.
#5. Attend PTSD Support Groups
Living with PTSD can be isolating. Finding PTSD support groups can help you know that you are not alone. Connecting with other people can be challenging, but seeing other people going through similar experiences can help you feel like you are part of something bigger than yourself. Meeting people who understand what you are going through can help you feel validated, and hearing about other people’s experiences and perspectives can help you gain new perspectives on your life.
Support groups are also valuable to help you learn how to communicate more effectively and express your feelings about what you are experiencing. You can learn how to trust other people and how to ask for help. You can also find ideas about how to handle the various challenges that arise with PTSD in daily life. Attending PTSD groups can provide you with a solid network of support.
#6. Exercise
Exercise is well-known for its many mental and physical health benefits in the general population and within the mental health community. It is no surprise that you may also benefit from exercise in coping with your PTSD symptoms. Exercise helps to connect your mind and body, which can become somewhat disconnected from the effects of PTSD. When you exercise regularly, you are helping to restore and regulate essential physical functions such as breathing, heart rate, brain activity, and sleep patterns. Exercise can also help to reduce stress.
A decrease in memory is one of the symptoms of PTSD, but exercise can change that. Exercise is known to aid in increased cognitive function. The hyperarousal of the body that causes rapid heartbeat in individuals with PTSD may also resolve through exercise. Regular cardiovascular activity helps regulate the body’s system to respond to physical activity rather than the overactive fight or flight response. Regular exercise helps to give your mind and body consistent activity that may help regulate both psychological and physiological responses.
#7. Reach Out for Support
Perhaps the most difficult coping mechanism for those with PTSD is reaching out and asking for support. When you may not even understand what is going on inside your mind and body, it can be challenging to ask for help and understanding from others. Trying to explain to someone you love why you get angry so quickly for no apparent reason can be challenging. Being honest and open with a spouse or partner about specific things such as preferred activities that they may not enjoy or vice versa can be difficult as well. You may feel it is easier to keep all of this to yourself, even at the expense of your happiness.
Letting people know what is going on inside of you helps them to understand you better. Those who love you will still love you. They are still there for you even without understanding, aren’t they? Letting them know some of the things that trigger you can help them to support you in finding healthy ways of coping with your PTSD. Allowing them to attend your doctor appointments or perhaps involving them in some family therapy can create better awareness and understanding for everyone. Asking for support helps everyone to cope and understand your PTSD symptoms.
Staying Well for Your Recovery
Finding healthy ways to cope with your PTSD is helpful for your daily life, and it will also help you prevent relapse. Experiencing relapse is challenging enough to avoid for the typical person in recovery. Still, it can be even more difficult for someone trying to manage their PTSD symptoms. Dealing with trauma or PTSD symptoms can create a strong desire to self-medicate with substances. By finding and using healthy coping mechanisms to manage your PTSD symptoms, you demonstrate that you are willing to work to maintain both your wellness and your recovery.
Working daily to maintain your recovery will also help as you strive to cope with your PTSD symptoms. Many coping techniques and daily recovery tasks overlap, including mindfulness, exercise, self-care, and therapy. With this dynamic combination, you do not have to work twice as hard to recover—you stay the course with the same work and can be twice as effective.
Finding healthy ways to cope with PTSD while in recovery can be challenging, but some of the coping mechanisms are things you are already doing in your recovery. You can create your own wellness and recovery by using talk therapy, mindfulness and breathing exercises, practicing self-care, attending support groups, exercising, and reaching out for support. Real Recovery Sober Living in Florida understands the importance of finding effective coping mechanisms for PTSD. We create an environment of accountability and stability in our clean and affordable men’s sober living homes. We offer experience, strength, and hope as you rebuild your life in recovery. Our mission is to provide a safe and stable recovery environment with a robust community support system to help men transition successfully into the real world. Let us help you cope with PTSD and maintain your recovery by calling (727) 290-9156.
