Pivot Points - Central Themes In Managing Your PTSD

[Friday]

Do you have central themes in managing your PTSD?

Whilst we all have the same disorder, there are often 180 degree differences in how people respond to things. Fight/Flight (fawn/freeze) is a great example of that. Same adrenaline jolt, but 4 very different responses to an emergency; running towards, running away, manipulating, & vanishing.

So it makes sense that there would also be different core components of things we seek out & bring into our lives, that we attach a high level of importantance to. Whether they’re symptom related, or trauma related, or simply life &/or personality related.

One sees this divergence across the forums an awful lot. When what’s important to one person is being able to protect, but to another it’s being protected, or being capable vs being helped, crying being cathartic and grounding vs laughing putting things into perspective, fear vs anger.

What I mean by pivot points are those places where those themes are present, and your life &/or disorder shifts into being more manageable; versus when they’re absent, and things start sliding out of control.

...

My own central themes I’ve sussed out to date? (Maybe more on that later, but just to get things started, and actually post this sucker ;) .) Tend to fall into 2 groups, in my mind. I’m not actually sure why, but it may well be the things I have vs the things I am. Action vs Identity? IDK. Just sort of working things out.

Choice & Control & Connection

To be able to protect, & being useful.

 

[ILoveLife]

I'm usually at my best when I'm tending for others. When I'm unable and feel actually threatened by that it's when I'm sliding back to old mind patterns.

Isolation is another resource of mine - time to regroup thougths and go a little bonkers on my own, no judgement. Coming out of it has become easier.
Hard is making new friends as an adult, not solely random neighbors to share coffee in the morning on good days.

So yeah, connection vs disconnection

 

[TTC18]

Great food for thought, thank you for posting this!
I feel better when I feel like I'm capable of protecting, and can laugh, and (discovered yesterday) can feel angry vs. fearing others' anger. All of these denote strength - so I feel better when I feel strong.

 

[intothelight]

Purposeful Action VS Whirling Dervish

 

[mumstheword]

Definitely connection versus avoidance.

Now, a lot of the time it's exhaustion versus exuberant productive time spent.

 

[Ronin]

Cruelty vs Care

Connection / Cooperation Vs Disconnect / Displacement.

 

[scout86]

Definitely "feeling useful". (Protecting someone or something might be a form of feeling useful.)

This might be kind of a double edged sword. While feeling useful is good, I know, in the back of my mind, that when the day comes that i can't work, I might be in a lot trouble. I have NO idea, at that point, how I'll justify my existence.

 

[Abstract]

but just to get things started, and actually post this sucker ;)

???? Shall answer properly later.

 

[Ronin]

how I'll justify my existence.

Like it needed a justification.

On a slightly lighter, but very meant note, you helped me believe in gentleness and kindness and (darn, I think I posted it above already) unfamiliar new horizons so many times, just by seeing them right in front of me, in you and in what you said. :)

 

[Powder]

Love. What it is and what it isn't. Over and over again.

 

[Tinyflame]

I have NO idea, at that point, how I'll justify my existence

I came to that point with work, though still working; there is no easy answer still. :(

Pivot points for managing? Isolation; prayer; looking for meaning or understanding; having a purpose; safety emotionally and physically, maybe then there's less need for isolation. Always cared for others, important but not enough day to day. Although without caring in general there'd be nothing. I protect the vulnerable but to me that's just 'living', vs managing ptsd.

Not sure if I understood the question right.. :confused:

I suppose feeling like there is a purpose for the ptsd and the suffering that can come along with it is the point of calm from which I can accept it and carry on (or don't feel that). Then add 'love' like @Muse said, versus bitterness or self-pity or anger or questioning.

 

[EveHarrington]

Flexible structure is the name of my stability game. ?

Too little structure? I can spiral down too fast.

Too much structure? I feel suffocated and want to lash out and/or run.

My current focus is on creating and maintaining this flexible structure so that I can become more stable.