Post-Trauma Stress Blog
Post Trauma Stress Tips
Tip 1 to Cope with Post Trauma Stress.
Most of us deal with severe post trauma stress at some time in our lives be it as a child, adolescent, or adult. These are times when we are afraid we or a loved one will be severely injured or will die. The stress may have come from a man-made disaster such as war...
Tip # 24: Help others and you help yourself reduce trauma, stress, and depression
One of the most important things you can do if you are highly stressed, especially after a trauma, is to reach out to others and help them. After a trauma you feel as though you have lost all the control you once thought you had in your life. There was no way you...
Tip # 23 Stay in the Moment to Reduce Stress
It's easier to go into the future or into the past and ruminate rather than to stay in the moment. Looking at the world around me a feeling of hopelessness sometimes overcomes me. "What in the world are we doing? How can humans be so cruel to each other? How can we...
Tip # 22 Thinking positive thoughts can make your stress worse.
Does positive thinking always reduce your stress? Some people think so. But might it actually make your stress worse? Counterintuitive? Maybe, but hear me out. You listen to your thoughts and you realize they are mostly negative at this point. "I'm no good." "I just...
Tip # 21 To reduce stress and PTS, use the 12 Step program Step 3 “Let go and let God.”
When you are severely stressed, remember that much of your life is not in your control. Only God has the ultimate power. The AA 12 step program says that to come back to sanity in the situation you are facing, you must let go and hand your problems over to...
Tip #20 Are you depressed or anxious? Watch more news.
Watching more news when you are depressed or anxious sounds completely counterintuitive. But is it? You are feeling down. Your life is not the way you would want it to be. Your child got an F in one of his classes. Your best friend is moving. Your mate left. You are...
Tip #19 Report Child abuse. Was Sandusky the only one to blame?
Sandusky is very much responsible for his actions. But wait a minute. How about all the others who knew about the abuse and kept it secret so as not to jeopardize the good name of the college and the money that would no doubt be lost if the football coach was found to...
Tip #18: Children have PTSD as well. Here are the signs and symptoms.
Did you know that even very young children have PTSD? Many people don't. If you are a parent, a teacher or child care giver you need to know the symptoms. Because of the normal stages of (brain) development children go through they can't tell you what's going on...
Tip # 17 Gardening reduces depression and helps center the mind.
Can gardening reduce depression? As the weather improves, I see more and more people out in the garden. And usually they have a relaxed look on their face or a smile. So what do these people know that many of us have forgotten? Touching and digging in the earth and...
Tip#16: Bullying can cause Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and severe depression
According to statistics 15% of all students who don't show up for classes say the reason is that they are afraid of being bullied at school. Alexandra Penn, founder of the organization Champions against Bullying, says that even though the schools are paying more...
Tip #15: Did you know there is a drug free approach that deals with Post Trauma Stress and stress? EFT
Tip #15: Have you heard of EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique)? Some people know it as "Tapping." Few people, however, know how well tapping works to reduce stress and PTSD. There are no guarantees of course, but what seems like miracles happen for many people. The...
Tip#14 To reduce stress move your body and your mind will “move” too.
As most of us know, exercise can make you feel better and often helps reduce depression and stress. But here is something that many people don't know. There is an actual feedback loop from your physical body to your mind and your emotions and in reverse. Any one of...
Tip #13: Do you have “floating duck syndrome?” Self compassion reduces anxiety, depression and severe stress.
Tip #13: Do you have what is sometimes called "floating duck syndrome?" On the surface you look calm and unperturbed, just lazily floating along. But under the water your legs are pedaling as fast and as hard as they can just to stay afloat? I've had times like that....
Tip #12: Breathe to reduce stress and emotional reactions after trauma
Tip # 12: Breathe your way back to sanity. So what happens under severe stress and how does breathing help reduce stress and emotional reactivity? We have known for a long time that there are three major parts to every person's brain. The lowest part is called the...
Tip 11: Post Trauma Stress Disorder in veterans, dealing with grief, guilt and soul pain
The 2008 Rand Corporation reported that 1 in 5 (20%) of returning troops reported symptoms of PTSD (see my "PTSD page" for symptoms) or major depression. Many of these troops will not seek or get help, but those that do can reduce symptoms with drugs and brief...
Tip 10: How to cope with depression when you have post trauma stress.
Actually this tip is for everyone who finds themselves depressed. Whether we are aware of it or not, most emotions come after our thoughts, not before. We do not first get sad and then remember our loved one is gone, or angry and then remember someone stole our car....
Tip 9: Questionaire:Do you or someone you know have Post Trauma Stress or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?
This questionaire was written for everyone who might have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder but isn't sure. It has not been tested for reliability or validity. However, it can help you determine your level of stress now and how it compares to before the trauma. If you...
Tip #3: Wait to worry
Did you know that worry is only 8% efficient according to researchers? In plain words, out of a hundred worries you will have, only eight will come true and ninety two will not. Wow! I doubt any of us would buy anything that didn't work 92% of the time. We'd throw it...
Memorial Day: Tip #2 for veterans and anyone with Post Trauma Stress
Tip #2: Memorial Day is here again and we are still at war. Hopefully many more of our troops will be returning this year, but the longer troops stay and the more tours of duty they have, the more likely it is that they will return with severe post trauma stress and...
How can you Help Prevent Veteran Suicides?
In January, 2015 Senator McCain and Senator Blumenthal reintroduced the Clay Hunt veterans suicide act and it passed immediately. Although the act will cost $22 million in federal funding, that amount, according to the Washington Post, is less than the cost of...
Physiologically, why do we “hate” all Muslims? (Part 1)
As terrorism and hate dominate our screens today and the media and some people in politics whip up the crowd into a frenzy of fear about all Muslims, all Mexicans, and all "whoever," my poor brain goes numb. This makes no logical sense. Sure I know why they do it....
Be creative, have fun and dance to decrease your stress!
My daughter (the blonde haired one) releases her stress by having fun dancing and creating videos. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjhPr99RpNs
Are some people more vulnerable to stress after a trauma than others?
Although everyone is vulnerable to stress and susceptible to Post Trauma Stress, some people are more prone to it than others. Why? Mostly because of their genes. That’s not their fault, and it isn’t anything they can change. Why do some people experience more severe...
Memorial Day – Book for veterans and Families to help them Deal with Stress after Trauma
My book How to Cope with Post Trauma Stress: Especially for Veterans, their Families, and Friends is on Amazon both as a Kindle book and a paper book in time for Memorial Day. It includes a stress...
Attitude changes post trauma stress
Tip#8: What attitude do we have after a trauma? The truth is that ultimately how we relate to trauma situations has a lot less to do with what really happened, and a lot more with what we think about the things. And that is what we call attitude. Here is a situation...
Plan ahead and choose action to reduce your stress
Tip # 7: This tip ties in with the former one on priorities. Some people seem to think that we can choose to be stress free, but the truth is that our unconcious mind is pretty strong and keeps us worrying about one thing or another. Besides, an optimal level of...
What are your priorities? Reduce your stress level.
Tip # 6 Do you really know what your priorities are? Many people think they do and proclaim them loudly. But nothing is running smoothly in their lives and stress keeps piling up. Something is very wrong. So how do you know you are being honest with the priorities you...
Positive Psychology: Depression and anxiety
Tip #5: Cognitive therapy, analyzing negative thoughts and feelings, is a very effective way to help people get past their depression and anxieties. But some psychologists say that there is another important approach often overlooked. Emphasize the positive and your...
Guilt and forgiveness tip for PTS
Tip #4: People ask me why I haven't kept up with my blog tips for coping with post trauma stress. It would probably take me at least a thousand words to explain my last couple of months, but basically the truth is that I chose not to take the 30 minutes a day that it...
How to cope with Post Trauma Stress.
I am presently writing a book specifically addressed to veterans and their families called "How to Cope with Post Trauma Stress before it becomes a Disorder." I have a deep concern for our veterans who will be coming home from overseas in greater and greater numbers...
Breaking the Stress Patterns
Here is a picture of me in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. See my big smile? That's because I have nothing to worry about while I'm there! It's true that not everyone can take off and go to Mexico for a while to break the stress pattern in their life. But it is also true...