• 💖 [Donate To Keep MyPTSD Online] 💖 Every contribution, no matter how small, fuels our mission and helps us continue to provide peer-to-peer services. Your generosity keeps us independent and available freely to the world. MyPTSD closes if we can't reach our annual goal.

Poll Do You Believe That Ptsd Effects The Way You Operate In Society?

Do You Believe That PTSD Effects the Way You Operate in Society?


  • Total voters
    366
Status
Not open for further replies.
I am terrified of men. Even when I become friends with a man (this doesn't happen very often), I fear him. I am always, always tense around men. If I'm in public and I notice a man seeming to notice me, my heart starts to race, my head starts to spin and I feel very unsafe.

I am terrified of authority figures and people who exude dominance. I freeze up around said people and my 'guilt complex' goes into overdrive - I become convinced that I've done something wrong and that I am going to be severely punished, scorned, ridiculed or verbally abused, even when I have no evidence to back that up.

I am very timid and afraid around new people, especially if it's in a group setting. I withdraw into myself, become painfully self-conscious, painfully self-aware, hypervigilant, untrusting of everybody. I feel very unsafe in these kinds of settings and situations. Self-hatred usually overwhelms me as well, because I know I shouldn't be reacting the way I do. I feel so stupid and useless in social settings where I don't know people. It's not uncommon for me to depersonalise. I usually do everything I can to avoid situations like this, and if I can't get out of it I'm almost always filled with a sense of dread that turns me into internalised anxious knots.

I become easily irritated and agitated in crowds. Anxiety goes up, usually experience irrational anger, irrational impatience, become very jumpy and hyper-alert, feel hot and flustered.

Hearing a phone ring, whether it's mine or someone else's, sends me into a panic. I have no idea why. Same goes for doorbells ringing or doorbell sounds, car horns, motorcycle engines, and knocking on the door. All of those sounds cause immediate spike in anxiety and I usually have the immediate instinct to run and hide for some reason. Even if I hear a phone ringing or a doorbell ringing in a movie or TV show, I react like that.

I'm almost always very tired, drained and aching after dealing with any of the above-mentioned situations. Usually have a headache and usually have to lie down in complete quiet and zone out uninterrupted. If I get overstimulated, I become restless and anxious and on edge, which is why I need quiet time after dealing with stressful situations. It frustrates the hell out of me. I can't stand the way basic social interactions can cause me to crash for a few days afterwards, leaving me feeling scattered and unable to focus on even the simplest of tasks around the house.
 
I don't own a TV. Having been bitten by ticks and suffering from Lyme Disease which was not diagnosed until it almost killed me, all I have to do is see some tall grasses on TV and I freak out. Violence does the same, giving me anxiety or worse. No TV for this kid here!
 
How could PTSD not affect how I operate in society? I'm not sure if it is the trauma or the PTSD symptoms that affect me more. I can imagine surviving trauma without developing PTSD, but the trauma history would still impact the way I operate in society.
 
I flinch at loud noises and when I'm touched. I can't relax and concentrate if I don't have a clear view of the exit, or if anyone is behind me. I shut down and stare blankly into the middle distance when confronted by someone else's anger. I get nervous and try to leave if I ever find myself the centre of attention. I cry and become nearly hysterical whenever I think that I may have caused even slight and accidental hurt to another living thing.

I'm not very likable, I don't even like myself.
 
I am only going through the motions 90% of the time. This is actually a huge improvement. I can't work, can't go out alone without my service dog, need many hours of rest a day but get little sleep. It's a good thing I contributed so much to society before my ptsd became full blown or I would feel like a drag on society. But I worked enough for two people, saved a few lives, made a difference in a lot more, got my kids mostly raised and am still working on that and ten fell apart. So yeah before ptsd and after are day and night.

I mentioned on another thread that hubs planned a well meant family vacation. The airplane ride turned into me taking a lot of prns because I was loosing it so hard we feared a Marshall would be meeting us if I lost control. Now I'm hiding in bed in a nice hotel suite hoping the kids don't remember this vacation as the one where mom got locked up in hawaii. Laura
 
I'm an asshole. More so than I normally would be. I don't take crap and have little respect for anyone...
I'm still an asshole, but I have mellowed out some. But to no avail. Too many people are still major dicks. I have tried showing respect to people in authority, but that also failed. Tried going to one college, had really good grades, but an instructor had a problem with my mention of PTSD and after the school got documentation on my PTSD I felt like I was targeted. And seriously, it happens...EVERY...TIME.
This time they labeled me a "possible school shooter", though even the FBI has said that I don't fit the parameters. Didn't matter, I got kicked out.
Now going to another college, again pulling good grades (GPA about 3.1) and I refused to comply with the college's request for documents on my impairments & PTSD. I don't want discriminated against again.
 
My inner child became asocietal as a PTSD symptom. Outwardly, I have faces/identities for different situations that can function to varying degrees depending on the anxiety level present.... and there is always anxiety.
 
I'm rarely alone in public anymore, I need a trusted person with me. As a former paramedic, it is fear of being placed "back in my boots" so to speak. Usually I have my husband, also a paramedic, with me and if something in the environment goes bad in any way, our routine is for me to walk away as he walks toward - essentially he's relieving me of duty because despite PTSD's anxiety, my response instincts are still intact. I will act - I will be numb & on automatic and once the stress abates I will break down. The breakdowns take a lot out of me.

I still try to find my confidence being alone in public but for the most part I avoid crowded public areas.
 
Well, I've had a really special day. I did not 'operate well." Though the cop did let me off for a rolling stop. No other vehicles in site, badly sprained foot on the break and gas. Dog in car. Returning home from getting help on eviction, injury due to landlord dump tear down when the estate gets settled maintenance, and left my pouch with wallet all registration paperwork at the Dr. Smooth operator? Nah. Clearly was not capable of operation on many levels. Just holding the pieces of me together. Nice cop. Dog provided credentials. Good person, bad day. OK? Got a treat for me?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top