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“It’s Just Stress”

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Who is SICK & TIRED of hearing- “IT’S JUST STRESS”, “IT’S JUST ANXIETY”, “GET OVER IT!”?!

I was told this evening by a friend that said, “I HAVE STRESS TOO” & then by another person that was in this conversation after over-hearing me explaining to her THERE IS A DIFFERENCE, & explaining the details of WHY it’s DIFFERENT to my other friend, & this other person said, “OH, SEVERE ANXIETY”.

I am SICK of this being so MISUNDERSTOOD and MINIMIZED!
This is why WE have to RISE UP, INFORM & EDUCATE others about MEDICAL/SCIENTIFIC/NEUROLOGICAL FACTS!
I’ve personally spoken many times with an AMAZING Doctor that is beyond intelligent & I have talked to this another beyond intelligent woman that specializes in this for almost a year & have developed a friends hair & she is a PROFESSOR in PSYCHOLOGY & also her specialty is in C-PTSD & PTSD & she also is on the ID CHANNEL that investigates & she has been interviewed about the psychology part of serial killers & much more- they have educated me with SO many medical/scientific/neurological FACTS that have not been put out there like “depression”, anxiety” or “bi-polar”. Everyone in this world totally understands that, right? But not Complex PTSD.

(The next post I post, I will inform y’all with what I’ve found out so you can share with anyone who comes at you with “IT’S JUST STRESS”.)

I told my friend this evening while I was crying (I had an episode Friday which just reminded me my friend I was speaking to said “OH, A PANIC ATTACK?!”🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️) & if y’all want, when someone says things like that, I want y’all to remember this & this is what I told & asked my friend-
“IF DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, STRESS, BI-POLAR DISORDER IS THE SAME AS C-PTSD/PTSD, then WHY are they ALLLLL NAMED DIFFERENT & DIFFERENT SPECIFIC DIAGNOSES!?!? C-PTSD wouldn’t exist, right? It would just be called STRESS, & ANXIETY, right?”
& she took a step back & looked away for a second, thought about what I just said & nodded of like “wow, never thought about that”. That right there gave her a different perspective & understanding.

YES, they have a lot of the same symptoms & feelings. BUT there is a DIFFERENCE (& I am NOT minimizing those illnesses), but C-PTSD, we have ALL those diagnoses, those feelings & physical, emotional/mental symptoms & the INTENSITY & the living in 24/7 FEAR & FIGHT OR FLIGHT MODE & SO much more we deal & live with, THERE ARE DIFFERENCES (yes, similarities), in the “STRESS, SEVERE ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, PANIC ATTACKS” diagnoses people try to say & compare to Complex PTSD.

Please,
Google depression.
Google anxiety.
Google panic attacks.
GOOGLE COMPLEX PTSD.

& after you do, let me know what y’all think about this post & what I experienced & said! I would LOVE to hear everyone’s advice, opinions & personal & similar stories & share with this community!!❤️💪🏼

We have to share so we can help others with coping mechanisms, different POSITIVE ways of thinking & perspectives & views. That one “idea”, “thought”, etc. might just help someone gain more understanding, knowledge, encouragement from us & hear something different that just clicks with them and it gives them the STRENGTH & CONFIDENCE they need/we all need & help them and everyone to gain a VOICE!❤️
 
I think I come at it from a different angle. The majority of the general public is not interested in, nor informed in the specifics of lots of different diagnosis. And that’s okay, that’s why we have psychiatrists and even they find it hard to pick it apart and get the right one.

But, everyone understands stress. To me, that isn’t a friend minimising, that’s them attempting to connect and understand, at a level they have knowledge of.

My friends are not there for me to dump my trauma on them. That’s my therapists job. But stress? We all understand that to some level. We all understand what that feels like and we can talk about it.

If I am having a freak out over something, my friends aren’t going to spin round and go ‘you - you have ptsd’ No, but they understand on a basic level I am anxious, and therefore they can help me, and that is all that’s needed.
 
this used to bother me unmercifully, but somewhere along my recovery road i realized i was **just** going to hardware stores for bread and getting angry when the hardware store clerks had no bread to sell me.

these days, i take the minimizing of my symptoms as a signal that i'm barking up the wrong proverbial tree. they have no understanding to give on this particular issue and that's okay. i **just** need to find a bakery when i need my daily bread. i am also grateful those hardware stores are still around when i need a toilet plunger.
 
this used to bother me unmercifully, but somewhere along my recovery road i realized i was **just** going to hardware stores for bread and getting angry when the hardware store clerks had no bread to sell me.
Used to bother me was about a month ago for me. I can hear myself saying everything the OP said. As I read, I could feel the passion building in me.

For myself, I decided the things I want people to understand is

-How people get PTSD

-What can be done to prevent the preventable causes

The fact that children, today, are still enduring traumas of various types kills me inside. If someone doesn't understand that my stress is different, not much I can do. If I can convince them to take ALL forms of child abuse and neglect seriously, maybe they'll donate to a cause that helps prevent it, or pay a little more attention to what's going on around them.

I agree that it can be frustrating to no end, but I've decided to no longer pick that battle in favor of more energy on others.
 
I agree that it can be frustrating to no end, but I've decided to no longer pick that battle in favor of more energy on others.

a mantra i picked up during my first parenting career in the 80's/90's is, "pick your battles small enough to win and big enough to matter."

i'm pretty convinced that this battle doesn't fit either criteria. i'll **just** look for my bakery, thank you kindly. what you do or don't understand is yours to sort.

another mantra i might apply here is, "if ya can't beat 'em, change the subject."
 
I've got a feeling most, or at least many people have either a little or a lot they keep hidden or feel others don't or can't understand. I don't know who said it but there's a quote about for those who don't understand (ultimately) no explanation is possible, but for those who do none is necessary. I think years of living helps us all understand each other a little better if we are open to learning and listening and being compassionate to each other. But so many battles are kind of our own to fight, sometimes.

It's nice to be understood though. And trying to laugh about what we can. (Love @arfie 's analogy. ) 😊
 
Thank all so much for all y’all’s replies! I got something out of all those posts & just totally have a different feeling about it in a good way for my personal frustrations! I can’t let that frustrate & hurt me so much.
What Arfie said- "pick your battles small enough to win and big enough to matter." That’s huge for me. Thank all of y’all! Every single post hit me like “wow” and just took this weight off my shoulders. Thank y’all!!
 
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