High functioning with ptsd/cptsd

[EveHarrington]

High functioning according to WHO??? Is there some standard out there that I'm not aware of that I shou...

And this is where it's ok to step in and say that we all suffer differently!!!!

Ok, there, I said it. Shoot me.

 

[Rani G2]

You work, you'r

SheCat... I want to function 24/7 with no sleep. Der looking good with a perfect immunesystem.

;-)

 

[Deleted member 541]

@PURUSHA You're setting yourself up for failure. Impossible to obtain....

@EveHarrington let me make my response more clear to you.... I don't believe that there is a standard for high functioning. We all function at different levels. I wouldn't know what the f*ck high functioning looked like, because we all do function at different levels.

I never said anything about suffering.

 

[Deanna]

I am very high functioning. Ive been in biz for 25 years., had 20 years of sobriety ( I said had.. I didn't drink now but had some beer to cope ( obviously) with PTSD, which has been two and a half years ago . i was only diagnosd 4/5 months ago. Take Exeffor 225ng ( Gabapentin 2000- 1600mg a day for another bone disorder ) and Abilify1 mg a day..Oh..and as I worked for the number 1 retailer in the world in home office... PTSD from that as well ( I mean.. I'm not pointng fingers) did a lil' service ( Army) only 6 months came home ( hated that part, but I was in a shitty MOS) I have a boyfriend who is PTSD and introduced me to PTSD ( or I can say he was patient with me never stated that I had PTSD but wasn't suprised when I was diagnosed) we both take anti-psychotics and are fine together- before that-- I would like him for a while then rip his heart out and he wouldn't flinch ( I am so glad he got on his because he can smile once in awhile) Are we together forever? Don't know..IT works for now though. I've always been in business. Actually, I am thinking of getting realtors liscence. ( I've sold houses without the license but i'm bored) and want to mosey on over to Boulder,CO where I have family that I love . I would be classified as CPTSD although some of the worse was yet to come.. in this life. I have a small car,small house.

And this is where it's ok to step in and say that we all suffer differently!!!!

Ok, there, I sai...

I took it to mean to take on a million thing as a normal person would. I want to know who can open a thread around here and not get hammered? Not all of us stay on this board 24/7. I have the last couple of days because I haven't worked but I will go in tonight.

My T likes to say that what mattress must in life is "Loving and being loved." So, maybe, that's 'succe...

I like that. :):):)

 

[theshadowoftheliving]

And in this case, perhaps employ someone who specifically understands DID?

I'm lucky to have a therapist that both understands and believes in DID, which is really, really hard to find.

Rarely I think can we accomplish everything without something suffering, even without complicating factors like ptsd, and I'm not sure that therapy itself can change that. We can't have everything.

I want everything. I know I can't have it. But I want it. I also know that every human makes choices along the way about what to prioritize, and that doesn't make one less functional, just choosing to function in different ways.

SheCat... I want to function 24/7 with no sleep.

Me too, me too.

 

[Deleted member 42783]

I am considered high functioning and believe it or not, that term is what got me into grad school. I had to have a physician sign off on me saying I was ok. :wtf:

I've been with the same man for 18 years. I have four reasonably healthy kids. I work. I am truly blessed.

Like the article mentioned, I have little room for self pity and I am ALWAYS setting goals for myself. Doesn't matter if they are completely unattainable or not. Turns out, that is a symptom of hypervigilence and avoidance. Gotta keep planning and moving so I don't stay in the present where I'll be hurt. It is also a symptom of low self worth. There is always something to improve about myself and I will never be enough.

The "I Can't" thing, well, I've been there many times. It was/Is a voice that goes round and round in my head. I hear it often as soon as I wake. Sometimes I succumb for a bit. Then I know that depression will be ruling my life very shortly. When I manage to not succumb, it's because I let myself think that and then do it anyway. Maybe like a form of radical acceptance? It's like, I'm going to tell myself I can't as I'm doing it. It reminds me of my son who used to tell me angrily that he would not pick up his toys, as he was doing it.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

What I fear by labeling "high function" is failure and defeat as I just simply function and do everything I can to get to high functioning but can never get there. That is a dangerous slippery road because as long as I am moving foward, I am doing great. "High functioning" standards or not. And whom sets those standards? Is a spouce, a good job, 2.5 kids and I white picket fense the definition of happy? Really? Yes, I do want to make friends and have a healthy social life, date, go places, eat healthy, workout (which I actually can't physucally do) but don't people of those standards that have and do all of that still commit suicide? It does happen.

I think trying to obtain a "high functioning" title is just very dangerous! Are you moving foward? Yes? Ok, then you are doing great!

 

[intothelight]

What the hell is HIGH functioning and what would that look like????

I guess the best way to answer that is by an example. If a person is so crippled by anxiety they can't leave there house, then the PTSD/CPTSD is significantly impairing their ability to function. If symptoms common enough a person has to call in sick frequently, then the PTSD/CPTSD is having an effect on functioning. If a person can go to work and has the ability to manage symptoms during the time they are there or are symptom free, then the PTSD/CPTSD is not interfering with their day to day life and they are functioning at a higher level.

The purpose of the thread is to share ideas about how improving the quality of day-to-day life. The articles defined "high functioning" by the criteria I shared in the first post. However, there is always room for interpretation. I see some people equate "successful career" with monetary achievement, and myself, I associate more with personal fulfillment.

 

[Tinyflame]

The purpose of the thread is to share ideas about how improving the quality of day-to-day life

Hey I just thought:

If a person can go to work and has the ability to manage symptoms during the time they are there or are symptom free, then the PTSD/CPTSD is not interfering with their day to day life and they are functioning at a higher level.

For example, much of the work I do is possible not because the symptoms are more manageable, but the requirements of the work interfere with the symptoms: it requires much energy to be expended, it requires hypervigilance, it requires being present to others. And when I feel myself deteriorating I purposefully even walk more than normal. Etc.

personal fulfillment.

Yes this is what I meant by true to one's self, nature and heart.

 

[scout86]

Actually, some of the time, "symptoms" actually help me in my work. I work with horses. I kind of think we're wired much the same way. I think, maybe, that I get along with them as well as I do, at least in part, because it's easy for me to understand them.

 

[Tinyflame]

Exactly @scout86 , from my experience with (and love of) horses I agree. We are all flight animals. :) ;):inlove:

Yes, that's what I find too and meant at work; for example, the hypervigilance is still there but re-directed to prevent falls, etc.

 

[Rani G2]

The purpose of the thread is to share ideas about how improving the quality of day-to-day life.

This thread focuses on posttraumatic growth, just like many have wrotten before. High functioning, low functioning.... these are definitions.

When I look back on 2005 I wasnt able to go out of the house for weeks, I didnt wash myself properly, had OCD which meant I controlled my apartment for 2 hours. I sat in my flat and was researching on murder cases for hours and hours which meant I didnt eat properly or met any people. I was only able to sleep for 2-3 hours. My health was ruined at one point and wasnt able to work for a while. 2009 Breakdown, psych ward, therapy. Thats when the journey began.

I am working now, I met a partner in 2007, who was and is still very supportive. I am in good health and I have decided to take on alternative therapy, like herbs, ayurvedic stuff against anxiety, depression. These are no miracle meds but they work.

I still isolate a lot and have difficulty in emotional regulation but compared to years ago I am doing much better.