We are on our third day of troubleshooting PTSD and it has been enlightening. What I discovered today is that post-traumatic stress, while incredibly serious, can also be a gateway into learning more about you, your body, and the world around you.
Yesterday, we learned from MSU that a healthy body helps us to “maximize personal potential in a variety of ways.”
Unlike a machine, what works for one person may not always work for another person with the same or similar issues which is why it is important to understand how you and the world around you operate.
Yet, when post-traumatic stress enters the picture it further complicates, skews and sometimes causes disruptions so great in life that a person’s potential is diminished. This brings tears to my eyes.
Much like a machine, you might begin to shutdown, not function at your highest level consistently, and even just completely break down.
So, today let’s take a closer look at post-traumatic stress and the impact that it can have on you and your personal potential.
According to the National Center for PTSD, “anyone can develop PTSD at any age [and] can only develop after you go through or see a life-threatening event.” Similar to a machine experiencing intermittent connection problems, symptoms of PTSD can come and go causing us to overlook the issue. The symptoms can sometimes last only a few weeks, but often last several months, and can be triggered over and again if the right and consistent treatment is not provided.
Many of our children experience post-traumatic stress in homes where severe abuse is present on a nearly daily basis. Sometimes the impact of the trauma can be minimized by a supportive and nurturing environment outside of the home, but this is not always the case.
The longer that you stay in a traumatic situation the more likely you are to experience post-traumatic stress long after the experience has ended. The support you receive after the traumatic situation and the ways that your body internalized the event also impact your recovery.
In this way we see the impact of human interaction - a loving, nurturing environment can sometimes minimize the impact and help with healing. An individual stepping in, a family, or a group of friends can help you as BetterUp suggests, “to learn how to view challenges as opportunities, learn to give and receive constructive criticism, be inspired by others, and see learning as “brain training.’”
Do you know someone who has recently gone through a traumatic or life-threatening event? If so, take a moment to check-in on them, see how they are doing and work to help them maximize their personal potential.
Heavenly Father, thank you so much for working with us today to help us troubleshoot PTSD and maximize our personal potential. Having PTSD can be difficult at times. It can cause us to shut down and behave in ways that our outside of the person You designed. Today, Lord, we ask You to fully restore peace in the lives of all those who have experienced post-traumatic stress. We ask Lord, that you help each of us learn how to maximize our potential and become the persons that you are calling us to be. In Your Name We Pray, Amen.
Thank you for praying with us today! Ya’ll have a beautiful one!
All My Love,
Jen
Sources for this article:
“Definition of Health.” Minnesota State University, Mankato, www.mnsu.edu/university-life/health-and-safety/campus-wellness/health-resources/definition-of-health/. Accessed 3 June 2023.
Labrecque, Kelly. “Reaching Your Full Potential Isn’t out of Reach: 10 Tips to Get Moving.” Reaching Your Full Potential Isn’t Out of Reach: 10 Tips to Get Moving, 14 July 2021, www.betterup.com/blog/full-potential.
“Va.Gov: Veterans Affairs.” Understand PTSD, 24 Sept. 2018, www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/. Accessed 3 June 2023.
For more information about Get Strong with Jen! click here.
To view 30 Days of Prayer for PTSD - Day 2 click here.
