Smile And Wag Your Tail: How To Overcome PTSD

Post-traumatic stress disorder is an interesting thing. It instantly makes you irritable, anxious or even sad. Sometimes you don’t feel anything at all… just numbed. This will happen out of nowhere and will last for a few days without understanding why you feel what you feel. The head is filled with irresistible thoughts:

“How can I keep my tears from coming back?”

“Shouldn’t I put up with it now?”

“Will I ever feel excited or happy again?”

Every day I make a choice to rise higher and overcome my obstacles. Focusing on the sad and the negative doesn’t really inspire me to live my destiny. I overcame cystic fibrosis and went through a path of complete health and integrity that I had never dreamed of, but after losing my home a few months ago as a result of a fire, I realized that dealing with emotional stress from post-traumatic stress disorder is a problem. really depressed. To be honest, it sucks! However, I have a habit of looking for germs in my life – you know, small positives that are proof of what is going well and what is growing. It would be as easy to hide from shame as a puppy with a tail between his paws; but God did not make me a man who gives up or gives up.

A few months ago, the emotions of post-traumatic stress disorder were so strong that I really needed a strong hug and a little support. Have you ever felt it? Always call out to God and say, “Lord, I know you have great things ahead of you, but today I really need encouragement, so please go a lot!” Here’s what happened…

I sat down with Starbuck and hit my ass during the letter. Everything went very well – I was sitting in a comfortable chair, squeezing my legs, my soy caramel mashiatto steamed in a mug next to me, and my pen went crazy when the words flowed out of me. Then I heard a polite hoarse voice asking, “Is there anyone sitting here, Miss?”

I looked up and smiled at the happy face watching me intently. “No!”

“Do you mind if I sit here?”

“Not at all – it’s all yours!”

He sat down, and I continued to write, secretly hoping that he would allow me to continue my task. Not a chance. He introduced himself as Jean and spoke to me; He even asked me if I was a writer.

We talked for an hour, and he started telling me a story about his grandmother. I was amazed when this retired gentleman remembered a moment from his 16-year past. He told how his grandmother gave him $5 for a dance party. And then she said to him, “Gin, don’t go to this dance with a member between your legs!” She encouraged him to meet people, have fun, share his story – do not hide from shame and be shy.

When Jean left, I laughed to myself. God is so great in the way he organizes everything. When I saw Jin come out, I felt God say to me, “Mandy, wagging your tail!”

It is not easy to wag your tail when you have post-traumatic stress, cystic fibrosis, illness or any kind of pain and discomfort that you experience and save longer than you would like. But have you ever seen a dog? Aja B., my wonderful dog, always meets me at home, wagging his tail. Even on her worst day – when she spent six hours in a flat fire, scared for her life, when she saw that me and I picked up and held her, she was wagging her tail! Why? Once again, she felt safe, she was happy to see me and shared her fears with me. She was still scared – she was shaking with fear, but she was happy to share it!

So, my friends, instead of being embarrassed by post-traumatic stress disorder, cystic fibrosis, depression, illness or any other battle, let’s promise to “shake” in the middle. Our stories can just help save someone else from despair!

Born with cystic fibrosis, Mandy B. Anderson, striving to defeat the deadly disease, inspires and gives people the opportunity to stand up and overcome their own life obstacles.

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