hey everyone today I'm going to talk
with you about how to help a loved one
who has PTSD so stay tuned I've got four
helpful tips coming up so like I said
today I'm going to talk with you about
how to help a loved one who's struggling
with PTSD I've heard from many of you
that you have family members who have
either gone to war or have been in some
kind of traumatic event could have been
a car accident it could have been a
sexual trauma that they've just now
started opening up to you about and you
wonder how you can better help which
just shows how amazing our community is
am i right they were all looking to not
only help ourselves but to also find
ways to help those who we love and today
I have four quick tips and tricks on
best ways that you can help them the
first is the patient and understanding
and I know that kind of goes without
saying but I find that a lot of people
who struggle with PTSD and their loved
ones have a hard time understanding
where the other one is at overcoming
PTSD can take time it can be really hard
we can feel like we're making like all
these steps forward and then we slide
back a little bit it's like I always say
it's a process not perfection right and
so it's important for us to be patient
and understanding with their process
versus maybe yelling at them like hey
stop rehashing the past why do we have
to talk about that all the time and
understanding that that's where they're
at at the moment they need to talk it
out so that they can move on and
continue moving forward the second way
that we can help is to try to be aware
of their triggers a lot of people with
PTSD have certain triggers that will
cause them to go into a PTSD like
response and being aware of that and
working to avoid them or offer extra
support during that time can really help
triggers can be anything from like let's
say loud bangs are really hard for them
to manage maybe we avoid that 4th of
July party with all the fireworks that
might be a little much for them or maybe
it's an anniversary of a certain thing
or maybe it's you know going to the
ocean it could be any
things that trigger that experience in
them and being aware and asking them
about it and helping them be there for
them for some extra support during that
time and during those triggers can
really really help them along the third
and most difficult is don't take
post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms
personally I know it's really hard a lot
of the common symptoms include isolation
not avoiding intimacy all sorts of
things that if we're in a relationship
with the person it can be really hard we
may be calling them they're not calling
us back we may have had plans and they
didn't show or they canceled last minute
they met this may be our husband or wife
and they don't want to have sex with us
for weeks on end and we don't understand
is it us what happened and we take it
personally
now I know it's hard to not but the best
thing we can do is seek to understand
talk with them say I'm feeling this way
I know it may be part of your process
but this is part of my process and
working together to start communicating
about each other's experience this
really isn't anything about you this is
something they're going through and the
more we seek to understand the better
support we can be for them while they're
working through it the fourth and final
tip is to not pressure your loved one
into talking about it I know it's hard
and sometimes want to hear all about it
want to be there for them and that's
part of the reason why they love us and
it's why we love them right we have this
great relationship but having PTSD can
make it really hard and talking about
things can be really uncomfortable and
so I find the most beneficial thing you
can do for them and their recovery is to
just let them know you're there it's
like anything we want to kind of touch
base with them and check in we don't
want to hound them we don't want to
force them so you may say I've noticed
that you've been a little irritable
today and withdrawn but I'm here if you
want to talk just reminding them you're
there they may want to talk they may not
but it can help for them to just know
that they have support so keep these
things in mind I know that it's
difficult I know it's hard to have a
loved one going through this I know a
lot of things we take personally and we
think are our fault but know that
they're going
through a really difficult time and the
best thing you can do is just be there
for them check in let them go through
their process at their own pace because
they will come out of it know that you
can recover from PTSD this doesn't have
to last forever so please share this
video if you know someone or if you
think someone that you know has been
involved in a traumatic event the more
we know together the better so like this
share it share your experiences below
and keep working with me towards a
healthy mind and a healthy body