PTSD?..

[Baseball87]

Recently feeling very anxious and not myself. I’m sure I must be experiencing PTSD, what I feel matches what I search.

My partner was recently in a chaotic situation involving a stabbing and since then I feel I’ve been going back down the dark hole. Few years back we were both next to a wrecking yard that exploded and both of us after that weren’t the same, we were jumpy and vigilant and even now we it’s deadly silent I am on edge waiting for the explosion sound or loud bang. There was no harm done to us except after where I feel like I’m still suffering from witnessing what I did. I also found in that situation I went into fight mode but it hits me after.

There was another time years ago I witnessed a bad motorbike accident from start to end and found out the rider later died and that messed me up, I still often try to avoid that road as I don’t like the feeling it also messed me up because I found out later we were travelling to the same soccer game.

I was young and felt like no one ever asked how I was, I thought I handled it well but now growing older I realise I’m not and the anxious and fast heart beat feeling is bothering me. What is my best option?

[Peppermintbach]

Hi Baseball,

I’m so sorry it has taken you a while to receive a response. Please don’t think it’s anything personal as sometimes it just accidentally happens...again, I’m sorry about that.

I’m very glad you wrote in and that you’re reaching out here. You have clearly had a lot of traumatic experiences, and I feel very sad that you’ve been through so much. I think being so hypervigilant and feeling unsafe can be debilitating...it takes its toll, that’s for sure.

I feel sometimes, especially if certain incidents happened at a young age, the mind represses a lot of emotions in order to cope. After all, a person can only handle so much...

But then if emotions are repressed, they often have a way of resurfacing later on...I suspect maybe the recent incident triggered a whole range of emotions associated with past events/past trauma. Perhaps it helped open an emotional floodgate...

There are a range of options, but I would suggest that a good starting point to consider is to simply make a long/extended appointment with your GP and explain what has been happening with your mental health. I feel that might be a good next step for you...how do you feel about this? I

Kind and caring thoughts,

Pepper