I started counseling over 15 years ago. At the time, I told my counselor I could count on one hand how many times I had cried, then I named them. He taught me that crying was an expression of deep emotion and was good for releasing pent up feelings. I was ridiculed as a child…
I like reading inspirational quotes….if you pick the right quotes….life gets confusing. http://www.curejoy.com/content/11-inspiring-quotes-will-give-needed-push-life/ If you don’t like how things are, change it! You’re not a tree. Jim Rohn Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/jimrohn147488.html Bloom Where you are Planted… Look twice before you leap. Charlotte Bronte Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/c/charlotteb131925.html You can’t get anywhere in life…
Medical tests came back….I’m on the low end of normal for thyroid, my blood pressure is on the high end of normal, and I am really allergic to something not yet identified. Problems come in 3s, 4s, 5s or any other number they want to. But the doctor said that all my medical tests came…
I’ve heard it all my life that happiness is a choice, sort of. What I couldn’t keep up was the demand that I be happy constantly and any time I was less than happy I was flawed, needed fixing, or needed to snap out of it. I am happy, sad, funny, weird, crying, excited, and…
I believe one of the difficult things about PTSD is it gets muddled and mashed up into a terrible mess. I lived with PTSD over 40 years not knowing I had it. It was disguised as over active imagination, aka nightmares, depression, hormones, being a girl, moody, and a host of other things. Psychcentral shared…
I finished Pavelka’s toolbox I have additional tools beyond the ones he mentions. My counselor worked at making sure I have a well stocked toolbox for how to handle different situations. I learned not to use a sledge hammer when a ball ping hammer will do. I still use some of my heavy duty arsenal,…
I am fascinated that the last item on Pavelka’s toolbox is understanding fear. My counselor spent many, many sessions on this one subject. He explained to me that I lived a fear based life. I made decisions not on what I wanted but what I was afraid would happen if I didn’t take a certain…
Abusers manipulate people through ‘gift giving’ with the expectation that their target should be grateful for getting a Trojan Horse. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Trojan-horse A victim of such gifts are sometimes viewed as ungrateful from 3rd parties that do not understand the danger of such ‘gifts.’ When is a gift not a gift? First what a gift is…
“I have an attitude and I know how to use it.” Seems contradictory. One of the many things I learned in counseling is the Art of Gratitude. Like many life skills, gratitude is a skill that needs to be taught. Receiving a gift, a compliment, or some good deed may be difficult for someone with…
Just do it is more than a slogan for a company. Pavelka referred to procrastination stealing time. https://ptsd-acceptingcopingthriving.com/2016/12/05/pavelka-toolbox/ I became a believer after reading the book Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway. https://www.amazon.com/Feel-Fear-Do-Anyway/dp/0345487427 The most recent example was DH and I celebrated 40 years of marriage attending TSO Trans Siberian Orchestra concert. http://www.trans-siberian.com/ The stadium…
PTSD - Accepting, Coping, Thriving 