You Know You Have PTSD When...

[Anrish]

When you drive to work and the thought of getting into subway is just too much - and you rather drive...

 

[Myanxietyhasanxiety]

When you can't remember what day of the week it is, you find your car keys in the refrigerator, and when other people find out about your diagnosis they assume your angry & violent.

 

[Forgetful]

When you have to plan ahead, every minute for Christmas dinner with family and include times to meditate and breathing exercises. Also plan who and how best to ask for help to get the least amount of questions.

When I HATE me and don't understand why others don't so they can just leave me alone.

Christmas is just too hard to enjoy. I hate feeling like this.

 

[Myanxietyhasanxiety]

When you have mastered the list of excuses to get away from people, you know every exit strategy their is, and you sit as close to possible to a door, or keep your eyes scanning the room for a possible escape.

 

[Ronin]

When you have to plan ahead, every minute for Christmas

When people that were your family / pack-ish sort of people get promptly put on an ignore and write a song about burying them alive list. And you're pleased about your being prepared, as there's something artsy to do, & art is life when life's questionable.

 

[Ronin]

When you have several categories of ex-father & ex-mother and the like, but 'loving family' is so confusing a concept.

Then you remember home is where you save people from bleeding out and suicide.

Then you figure you're not thinking about any of it. Home is where my totem can be seen, a.k.a. whole the world. Staying even if everybody goes, because once upon a time, something of loyalty wasn't about choices, but about finding why traditions are good, for centuries. Plain acceptance and gratitude, not needing the why's.

 

[Ocean5]

When with holidays approaching, even though you know you will be alone, you pull out the bottle of Xanax you haven't used in almost a year...

 

[Ronin]

... When you seal away all the medication you had that issue with, because temptations aren't worth it, your goal for Christmas is drug & violence free holidays (past stay away)

... When Past, Stay Away, is actually your life in three words.

 

[Anrish]

When you're so used to pain that you don't notice it for a long time.

 

[Gadgie]

When you get away from the demons, and no one to talk to about them.

 

[Forgetful]

When you get a notification that someone liked or replied to something you wrote on a thread and you can't remember what you wrote or what the thread was about. Even though you only wrote it less than an hour ago.

 

[Rosewater]

When you realise the weird & empty feeling is because pain has gone away for a while.