You Know You Have PTSD When...

[Changing4Best]

When you come to this thread here, just to know that you are not alone, even though no one with PTSD lives anywhere near you that you know of anyway.

 

[Anrish]

@jaccat: Then I will turn the heating on for you! *wraps you in a blanket* ;)

...when you wake up, feel dizzy...know that no one else would go to work like this...but staying at home all day with no contact to anybody even seems worse because you do not want do face yourself. And so you leave for work.

 

[Changing4Best]

Fearing that my life will remain more or less as it is, or worse yet, as it was.

 

[Ronin]

When you have ways how to deal with cruelty just fine. It's kindness that gets to you.

 

[Changing4Best]

When you spend hours worrying about the future, how bad it will be, and when you suddenly feel like you have nothing to look forward to.

 

[Ronin]

When you spend hours staring at pics and still can't decide if you're burning them or not.
When you're sure only about one and you're glad that bastard won, because you may be a different person tomorrow, but there's one direction of a person you're not changing to, for anyone.
When negative coping habits make the world have sense.

 

[Mercy]

When I am startled with huge motor movements like babies do just because the phone rings .I go into a panic attack just because I've been startled.
When I experience aging as the after effects of a period of abuse, exhaustion, disabled, can't climb stairs easily, go foggy minded and can't remember things I should be able to remember. It is unsettling especially because I know that aging doesn't stop. It only becomes more difficult. All expressed in the simple comment to H,"Would you please turn up the TV, dear."

 

[notsurewheretoturn]

You read the news on the internet because you can choose which items you read about, you gave up on owning a television years ago.
You have a stash of 'safe' films which you know you can watch without freaking out.
You take your meds with a swig of alcohol, just so you can fool yourself into thinking you are going to get some sleep that night.
You hide in sarcasm when the situation becomes unbearable and your escape route is blocked by more people
The screaming doesn't sound like its coming from you when you're the only person in the building

 

[Ocean5]

When you're emailing (draft so far) to an old friend who trusted you with highly personal things,

Trying to explain why:
You stopped wanting to be around people (even when after years was once again living in same city.....but no longer there now.)
At same trying to explain why you didn't share personal things with them...

At same realizing what PTSD has done to your life and personal relationships.
At same time can't even understand how you let this happen to your life....

At same time asking them for help because you trust them...

 

[Changing4Best]

... when trying to fall asleep you jolt awake and keep doing so every time you almost fall asleep.

 

[Ocean5]

... when trying to fall asleep you jolt awake and keep doing so every time you almost fall asleep.

That's a great way to describe it. You're falling alseep, almost there, maybe there - then the jolt that prevents final part of sleep, or wakes you up.

 

[holdenmonty]

you know you have PTSD when you fill out the regular questionnaire for your therapist and it is considered good news when your symptoms are moderate...