How To Relearn To Set Priorities With Ptsd

[Mim28]

How do you learn to reprioritize and organize your thoughts and life after dealing with PTSD? I have been unable to work for 6 months and have been dealing with health issues as well as PTSD. I've had moments of being myself but they are not consistent. I am still not myself. I will have to return to work and I am afraid of how I am going to manage work, myself, and my home when I struggle to do it now.

I need to draw on your experiences and tools to help me get back on track. I will likely have to return next week and I am very afraid that I will not be able to manage it all. I am afraid. My family does not think I am ready, and while my therapist doesn't think I am ready either, she is supportive of my effort to try. We both realize it may not work out.

The thing is, I can't seem to organize my thoughts or set priorities. I don't have the energy I used to have to get things done.

Please, any suggestions would be helpful. I really am afraid I can't do this.

 

[Silver.]

Mims, have you tried working on your WRAP yet?

 

[Mim28]

@Silver. No I have not and it sounds like I need to do that asap. I have some things to do to prepare for my appointment to tomorrow and I can add this to my list. Thank you so much. I just looked up some sites with some tools.
Thank you again.

 

[Muted]

One way I have found helpful for me to organize priorities is to have 3 magnetic dry erase boards. One high priority, one medium priority and one low priority.

Then, I write my tasks on magnetic strips that are dry erase (you can order online) . And place them where they need to go. Since priorities can change, depending on what comes up, I can then easily move them to whatever board they belong.

This saved me from constantly rewriting my lists. It's also a great visual.

I hope things go well for you.

 

[Killashandra]

I like lists too @Gia1019

I prepared a mental emergency card for my return to work @Mim28 but have yet to do so its been 12 mths for me:bag:

These are for when I have an attack or feeling crappy.. colour coded for the situation.. Red hight alert includes - breathing, finding a safe place, call my psych and find triggers. BLUE- not too bad - breathing, water, work on triggers etc..

As for prioritizing just remember you have all the time in the world. Things can wait. Health family work. Is priority. If your health suffers family suffers and work suffers.. only take on what you think you can handle.. if you need to tell work what you can handle and what you can't. . They need to support you too. I'm not sure what the US employment system is like but in australia they have to support you with a return to work program.. I tried at the start but they didn't take my requests seriously resulting in my anxiety getting worse. But that's another story.

Good luck sweetie,
Killa

 

[Silver.]

@Mim28
I still have in my conversations the original message I sent you with the links. If you need it, just drop me a line x

 

[Mim28]

@Silver. thank you for the reminder! I still have it! This is what I mean..... I feel like I've been doing work, but I forget to do things. I just wrote this on my list for tomorrow.
Thank you for helping me. Hugs.

 

[Killashandra]

@Silver. And @Mim28 what is WRAP?

 

[Silver.]

@Killashandra
it's a Wellness Recovery Action Program, a guide (plan), to help you along your healing journey and a good guide to help you when you just can't think of the things you do to calm you down. I made one last year and it's been so insanely helpful