I recently went to therapy for the first time and was diagnosised with PTSD. It came as a shock, but I have no doubt it’s real. Before going to therapy, I had been dealing with feelings of constant fear and anxiety for a long time. There were days where I couldn’t even leave my house because the anxiety would overwhelm me.
At first, it almost felt like the diagnosis was a bad thing, but only because I didn’t understand what it meant. Once I started learning more about it though, it became something that made me feel noticed; like someone finally saw and recognized how much pain I was in. Therapy has become an important part of my life since then; having weekly sessions to talk through things has been incredibly beneficial.
The biggest thing that’s helped with my recovery is creating a daily routine for myself and making sure I stick to it. This means doing things like exercising regularly, eating healthy meals, practicing relaxation techniques at night before bed, journaling when needed and taking time out for myself if necessary. Having structure in my day makes my anxieties seem more manageable and easier to handle when they do arise.
I’m grateful for the progress I’ve made since accepting that PTSD is relevant in my life—it does get better over time if you take care of yourself!