You Know You're Making Progress When...

[BlackbirdSinging]

I love the idea of this thread.

You know you're making progress when during a conversation a trigger comes up and you feel the anxiety start. And you notice it right away and take a slow deep breath and remind yourself you're safe and you remind yourself what year it is. And within a few minutes you can feel the anxiety starting to get smaller and smaller.

And you really notice that there is progress when you realize that a few months ago not only would that have triggered your anxiety to an anxiety attack your hypervigilance to the point of paranoia that almost no amount of deep breathing would have slowed the process of being triggered down.

 

[watundah]

...when you can talk through aggravation or frustrations in a relationship - any relationship - in an adult manner without getting angry, accusatory, defensive, pissy or simply shutting that person out. (Still not 100% but much better at being rational).

 

[Ellabella44]

You know you are making progress when hugs from your children don't make you flinch.

When you can advocate for yourself and say something is triggering you like a song and you can ask if the station can be changed.

When you spend time at the same pet fair as my other post and introduce yourself to animal organizations as someone with complex ptsd to see if they would take volunteers who have had traumas so that hopefully you can match both survivors and shelters to benefit each other.

 

[Recovery4Me]

When an appointment setter in a public clinic asked you the nature of the medical situation, and you offer without flinching,"I need to see a therapist, my self-regulation with my PTSD is not cutting it."

Then as the appointment setter now looks frightened :wideeyed: and you can pull it together to reassure her, that she is safe- that is progress.

@WillyKat bravo on the thread!:tup:

 

[WillyKat]

What great stories here!

 

[Lolo]

When you call your therapist and make an extra appointment before you're at the point where you need to be hospitalized:-)

 

[Chava]

You see how f*cked up you are...

(but also humbly accept and ask for help or seek some kind of change)

 

[Ice_Fire]

When you can deal with stress without spending three days in bed hiding under the duvet!

When the name of someone who happens to share that name with an abuser comes up in conversation and it doesn't make you freak out. Instead you can tell yourself that it isn't "him" and everything is okay.

When you can say with certainty that you won't be reestablishing contact with your parents and rather than grief, your heart fills up with strength and the knowledge that you're making your future stable and healthy.

 

[Ronin]

Another one loving this thread. :tup:

When what used to trigger you badly merely royally annoys you.

 

[BlackbirdSinging]

When you start catching yourself.

When instead of beating yourself up for doing anxious things again you're grateful you caught yourself early enough to take steps to ease your anxieties. And taking the steps seems to be helping.

When you realize that healing might be like doing the tango or the foxtrot going one step forward and two steps back it's still the dance of healing. And you're still dancing. And you want to.

 

[The Albatross]

You know you're making progress when you have peers that aren't freaked out, but hang in and help you turn your head around to problem solving (thanks and you all know who you are).

 

[Ice_Fire]

When you can let go of something/someone and accept that the pain and the sadness is natural, but ultimately, feel stronger for doing the sensible and sane thing. And be proud of yourself for protecting your own well being.