Anniversaries usually bring us lots of joy because they help us remember something wonderful that happened in the past. Weddings, relationships, and even moving into a new house are all things celebrated with an anniversary. Unlike regular anniversaries, trauma anniversaries can be extremely difficult. Instead of helping commemorate a past event that brought you joy,…
Tag: mental health
How Mental Trauma Can Lead to Physical Exhaustion
Mental health is very three-dimensional. Many see it as solely in the mind and isolated to that part of our body. In truth, our mental state affects our overall well-being. Things like mental trauma often manifest in physical ways as well. It’s not an uncommon sight to see someone who has gone through some trauma…
Navigating the Holidays with PTSD
The holidays are a wonderful time of the year. They involve much-needed time off from work, family, and celebrations like Christmas, Winter Solstice, Kwanzaa, Krampusnacht, and Hanukkah. They also represent the end of a year and closing another chapter of our lives. Most of the time, we associate the holidays with joy and happiness. Traditional…
Love Isn’t All You Need (Here’s Why)
We’ve all heard the phrase “love conquers all.” It comes from the widely-held belief that only love is necessary for a healthy, happy relationship. Of course, the quote is partially correct. Individuals surrounded by love often lead better and happier lives, and love is important in relationships, especially romantic ones. Is love all you need,…
How to Handle Intrusive Thoughts
Intrusive thoughts are unwelcome ideas, images, or impulses that enter your mind unexpectedly. They come out of nowhere and can be disturbing, violent, and highly distressing. They may be about something terrible or violent, sexual or profane, or even self-harming. Intrusive thoughts can feel like a betrayal of what we value most in life: our…
Dealing with PTSD in Relationships
Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, can be hard to deal with in a relationship. It can be stressful at any time, but the closeness and vulnerability that come with being in a relationship can add to that. It can also cause issues with trust, closeness, and communication. This is especially true if your PTSD is…
PTSD from the Covid Pandemic
After dodging it for 2.5 years, I contracted Covid while traveling abroad. Since I live with C-PTSD, I wrote this article before I got sick because I saw the effects of it, both on individuals and globally. After having it, I can also speak to the shame and guilt one can feel from catching it,…
Manage Your Emotions With This Simple Tool
Last week I published a post called “3 Tips to Help You Cope With PTSD” in which I listed three distress tolerance tools: Wise Mind, Name Your Emotions, and Radical Acceptance. Today I’d like to focus a little more on Name Your Emotions. Naming emotions is a very useful and helpful exercise. It allows you…
Five Ways to Support Women Struggling with PTSD at Work
So very many workplaces are heavily male-dominated. As a whole, men hold most leadership positions and earn more than their female counterparts. When a woman is coping with PTSD, especially from sexual violence, she might find it difficult to feel safe, seen, or heard. Additionally, women are often left out of the conversation about how…
Use Radical Acceptance to Help You Cope with C-PTSD
Radical acceptance was probably the most valuable tool in my mental health toolbox while in the worst part of my recovery, and it works still to this day. The point is to accept reality how it is right now rather than hoping things will get better or wishing it was somehow different. Step One: Abandon…
Christine Rose 