Anxiety To The Extreme

[JarHed]

it is actually far more difficult to be honest with oneself and face our greatest fears, normally emotional based / thoughts versus, being in combat zones to begin with was easier, as you knew what the problem was and what had to be done. Psychology... crap shoot.

It's also knowing that you've got to wade through all that stuff to get to the real problems. You just never know what you're going to find. That's the scary part. Not knowing.

 

[anthony]

Agreed. Once PTSD is present, the problem is that something that happened as a child, or outside the military period, that you never thought about again, now comes back and haunts you as a trauma in your life. PTSD really will use everything and anything it can find against you to keep producing symptoms and knock you over. Once you get control of it though and learn how to maintain it, via experience... then it does get easier.

This is why I put an average timeline on a couple of years, ranging out to 5 years... being the last few years are gathering experience from all the work done in the first couple, tweaking your lifestyle choices and how you react to things.

I solved a lot of problems in those first two years of solid hard work, self analysis and experimenting with different therapy models, using exposure, etc... and I got a hell of a lot better, however; the past 3 - 4 years is where I have really refined myself based on everything learnt in those first two years. This being what I call, the experience stage.

Then regardless of all of that, you must factor and accept, relapses during all of it. There will be times you fall over, shutdown, etc... but using everything you learn as you go, and experience, will dictate how long or short those periods are.

 

[JarHed]

I find your post very interesting and thoughtful. I'm at the beginning of it all in many ways. I've learned a bit but have a long way to go before I have a much better understanding and control of my situations. In the scheme of things even 5 years isn't very long even for someone of my age.

It's helpful to know that it can be better controlled with work, the proper therapy and time.I know it's always lurking just out of sight ready to pounce but as time goes on perhaps, as you've said, they won't be for periods as long as they are at the present.

To me it's worth almost anything to at some point to have a near normal life for the time I have. Thanks Anthony for your support, information and guidance. I really appreciate it. It helps to give me hope for the future.

Jar

 

[anthony]

To me it's worth almost anything to at some point to have a near normal life for the time I have.

Being younger than you obviously, at only near coming up to 40... this was my exact thoughts back at 34 or so when diagnosed with this thing. After the couple of years I had prior with it, but undiagnosed, the booze, smokes and women.... certainly a fun time, but wow... I didn't want to live life like that and knew I would be dead before 60 if I kept going that way.

Well done for taking control of your life Jar.

 

[JarHed]

Thanks Anthony :)