Best Tweets for Trauma and PTSD Survivors is a weekly Friday feature. My selections are entirely subjective, and I know it will never be possible to include every great resource tweeted. But I can try! I’ve personally read all tweeted links, and believe them to be of great value.
Disclaimer: I am in no way responsible for content found on any other website. Stay safe, and don’t follow links if you believe you might be triggered by them. Also, I will not be re-checking links from older Best Tweets posts, and if the site’s archived URL is different from the one I’ve provided here, you may need to do a search on their site.
Please Share My Stuff! You can now “like” and “share” this post everywhere with the touch of a button or two at the end of the linked tweets! Feel free to do any or all of that! (And thanks.)
Photo Credit
@karenkmmonroy “Whatever is happening,
there is a silence, a peace, and a calm
that belies every moment.
Your job is to find it.”
Six Standalone Tweets to Ponder
@IVKelly “Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us.” ~ Steven Pressfield
@back2incomplete “Each of us is frightened and ashamed in our own way. When we can embrace our vulnerability, we can remember our connection.”
@CarePathways “Know that each uncomfortable truth you face creates a bigger opening for the things you are searching for to enter your life.”
@LillyAnn “HIDE NOWHERE. I believe in reasons over excuses, in running to –rather than running from — and in uphill battles over slippery slopes.”
@EndStress “Imagine it as already real. See yourself there.”
@SashaKane “When you recover or discover something that nourishes your soul and brings joy, care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life.”
Linked Tweets
About PTSD
@PTSDdotOrg The Effect of PTSD on a Person’s Life
[SEO: A good primer of what PTSD is, how it impacts many different aspects of life, and the importance of seeking treatment. Good for anyone just starting on their healing journey, and for their loved ones, to help them understand it more fully.]
@CombatPTSDblog The signs, symptoms and red flags of Secondary PTSD in children
[SEO: This is aimed at children in military families whose deployed parent returns home with PTSD. But I can’t stress enough that these symptoms will apply to any child with a parent dealing with PTSD issues, regardless of cause. Includes an explanation of each type of symptom, and what you can do to get help for your child to deal with it. The sooner the better, as these issues don’t just go away, and may become worse if ignored.]
The Rest of the Best
@SarahEOlson2009 How to Deal with the Stress of Tough Economic Times (by @DrMelanieG)
[SEO: Dealing with mental illness is hard enough without constant money and job stress. “The first step is to realize that panic doesn’t help. Worry and obsessive fear make the situation worse by clouding our minds so we can’t think clearly and wearing out our bodies so we don’t have as much strength to cope. Instead, stop for a moment, take a deep breath….” Discusses five strategies for coping, and moving through tough economic times.]
@FaithLotus Differences between Fear and Anxiety
[SEO: This post refers to How Fear Differs From Anxiety (.PDF), an article from the journal Traumatology, and well worth a read in itself. From the blog post: “…[W]hile people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) frequently struggle with anxiety, the anxiety is a byproduct of a ‘conditioned fear response,’ which distinguishes PTSD from other anxiety disorders. The article argues that the two terms of ‘fear’ and ‘anxiety’ are not interchangeable because they have different causes.” Very interesting post!]
@darleneouimet If Happiness is a Decision WHY Couldn’t I Make It? (via @zebraspolkadots)
[SEO: This resonates so strongly for me. If happiness is a decision, seemingly as easy as deciding to have eggs for breakfast, why are there so many unhappy people in the world? Why does being unhappy, in certain circles, register as some kind of character defect? This post looks at the many external things we do to try to be/find happiness, and the guilt induced by accepting that it’s a decision — and you’re obviously not making it.
“I found real and lasting happiness when I faced the things that had caused me to be so unhappy in the first place. And now I really can choose my attitude. I found that being grateful, being able to sustain an attitude of gratitude came much easier after I faced the past and was allowed to have my resentments for the things that stole my happiness. When I gave myself permission to feel the anger and NOT judge myself for it, I didn’t have to fight it anymore.” The conversation continues in the comments.]
@psychcentral Feel like you’re not progressing in therapy? You may be standing in the way of your own treatment.
[SEO: This post lists various ways progress is impeded in therapy, and adds: “Sometimes, particularly when people are fearful and anxious, lack of progress in treatment is a result of resistance to the therapy process.” Discusses four ways in which you may be resisting therapy, and why resistance is often part of the therapeutic process.]
@HopeLCSW The Four Questions to Rid Automatic Negative Thoughts
[SEO: “When we’re depressed, automatic negative thoughts such as ‘This is hopeless,’ or ‘I’ll never get this right,’ or ‘what’s the point’ are swimming around. If we’re excited, thoughts like, ‘this is really going to happen,’ or ‘everyone loves me,’ or ‘I feel like I can do no wrong’ are prevalent. Thoughts are powerful and it’s worth becoming aware of our minds, understanding that thoughts are not facts and at times, even challenging them.”]
@ssanquist Is It a Relapse? (via Beyond Blue)
[SEO: “The fact that I study neurobiology — that I know that the amygdala, or the brain’s fear system, is hosting a massive keg party inside my head right now — should, somehow, protect me from the shortness of breath, and the loss of appetite (there’s a BIG problem if sweets don’t make me happy), an inability to sleep, feelings of tremendous guilt (for hiring a babysitter to watch the kids for a few hours so that I can work), a lack of confidence about absolutely everything (and especially motherhood, marriage, and writing), and the inability to make any decision (like which salad dressing to buy).”
I’ve sat right on the edge of the abyss Therese Borchard describes, and felt the fear of relapsing after months — no years — of progress into a deep black depressed goo. It took a long time, with some therapy-enlightened life experience, to come to the same realization she does: “What’s different this time from past bouts with this beast is that today I have hope, and I know this place is only temporary.” Give yourself the chance to get there, too.]
