I want my old self back

[lozybomb]

It has been 6 months since my accident. My PTSD started just 2 months ago - since my body felt more or less healed - it can be frightening and frustrating. I feel helpless in the face of it. I am learning to notice the symptoms and tell the people around me when it starts to become overwhelming. There is nothing they can do to help except just be there, if they can. If they can't, I find it hard to grasp the triggers of aloneness that this starts to precipitate.

There is no winning at the moment. I just want my old self back.

 

[Deadman]

I feel helpless in the face of it.

You are not helpless. If you are willing to put in the effort you can beat the worst of PTSD. I'm afraid you are unlikely to get the old you back. Traumatic events change us. But it may be possible to become a new, better you.

 

[ladee]

I feel those that have PTSD later in life, go thru a mourning period that the old self is gone... I have had this my whole life, so there is no old me.... well, in a way there is, I am much much healthier than I ever imagined I would be...
So give yourself permission to feel sad... hope you have a Therapist, we can not do this alone . Not all of it...

Hope you find one thing to be grateful for and build on that.... hope it gets different.... maybe not better, but different..

 

[lozybomb]

Thank you for you support. I just found this website after searching for a place to place my feelings, so I appreciate your replies to my cathartic post.

I have just turned 30 and had a number of trauma's to deal with throughout my child and adult life. My recent accident has by far been the worst and most painful for me as it happened completely unexpectedly and when things were going very well in my life.

I have not experienced such textbook PTSD as I do now which weirdly kind of soothes me as there is a clear explanation for why. Doesn't make it any less unpleasant to experience.

I should have therapy set up in the next couple of months, so am just looking for coping strategies in the interim period while I am waiting for that.

Have started working again after 6 months - it is helping to keep busy in a fairly monotonous job. I am trying to reconnect with friends although the whole trust thing is veeerrryy hard to harmonise. I think this is my hardest symptom as it is very uncharacterstic of 'the old me' not to trust.

 

[Gadgie]

Welcome to the site Lazybomb, I can understand your desire to get your old self back, I did the same thing, at first.

Then I realised after a while, that it was during the time of being ....."my old self" ...when all the shit that ruined my life, "happened".......... and that, it's the part of me that's left over, ....is all what I have to build on the rest of my life on?

I hope you understand that, as it took me ages to figure out how to write it down, good luck, and I look forward to reading about your progress.