Most people know that working out can benefit physical health, but did you know that regular exercise can improve mental health as well? Exercise has been shown to significantly reduce posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, improve sleep quality, and improve depression in people with PTSD.

Life is tough at the moment. Every day that passes by seems to be filled with anxiety after anxiety, and there is no clear end in sight. COVID-19 has thrown all our lives into disarray, and coping with mental health issues is harder than ever. Being stuck at home is undoubtedly difficult for everyone. Human connection is an essential part of life, and being unable to connect with friends and family members because of the coronavirus is taking a toll on all of us. But for people with serious mental illnesses such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), social isolation can present unique challenges.

Nightmares are one of the most common symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While most people experience a nightmare or two in their lifetime, up to 72% of people suffering from PTSD develop recurring nightmares as a result of the disorder. I am one of those people. I started experiencing nightmares as a result of PTSD when I was sixteen. Almost eight years later, I still get them every time I close my eyes to sleep. Coping with daily nightmares (and the poor sleep quality that can result) has been difficult, but I have found ways to manage them over time.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can get worse before it gets better when you start therapy. Find out why that's normal and how to handle it.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and fear are the best of friends. Fear is the driving force behind our fight-or-flight instinct, the most primal emotion we experience. While fear can exist without PTSD, PTSD can't exist without fear. Because of this connection, overcoming trauma-related fears is an important part of PTSD recovery. 

Today I want to talk about why it's so difficult to follow through on New Year's resolutions when you have posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Healing from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is rarely a linear process. Just like any journey in life, recovering from PTSD has ups and downs. There will be times when things are good and times when things are bad. When PTSD starts getting worse, it can feel frustrating and scary. We know how to handle the good times in PTSD recovery, but what do you do when PTSD symptoms start increasing?

When you're living with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the holiday season can feel like a nightmare. Holidays can be stressful for everyone, but trying to balance the activities of the season when you have PTSD can be very overwhelming. 

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a difficult disorder to carry throughout life, so you need to learn how to manage PTSD triggers. The symptoms of PTSD can be debilitating, and it's hard to predict when they're going to strike. Any sight, sound, smell, or conversation can cause an unwanted traumatic memory to pop up in your mind, disrupting your sense of peace. Learning to cope with PTSD starts with identifying the triggers that cause you distress. If you are able to predict what types of stimuli might cause you to get stuck in a traumatic memory, you will be better prepared to manage the PTSD triggers throughout your day.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and grief are very similar at their core. They crash into our lives like a train skidding off the rails, wreck everything that we once knew, and leave us picking up the pieces of our lives in the wreckage. And for some, grief and PTSD occur at the same time. Traumatic events that involve the loss of something or someone special (a car accident, for example) can cause people to develop PTSD and feelings of grief concurrently. For others, trauma and grief occur at different points in their lives but still overlap, forcing them to deal with the emotions of both.