Lina Pilgrim

Hi. I have post traumatic stress disorder, adrenal fatigue and dissociation. Not to talk about anxiety and sometimes panic attacks. I am on medication as the PTSD and dissociation would consume my day and not make me able to focus on my education. It helps, but medicine is a crutch, not a cure. 

When you suffer from PTSD, you get flashbacks and images popping up at any time. I especially have problems when I go to bed, and it have resulted in insomnia. I also need to take a sleeping pill, or I'll only be able to sleep for about three, four hours. The dissociation is not so severe, but it have sometimes gotten so strong so I've slipped into another personality. 

All of this is due from stress over a very long period of time. The PTSD is not from one traumatic event, it is from several extremely stressful situations. The list of symptoms is very long but it is all connected. 

But what to do to actually cure it? The best thing is to accept it, first of all, but not to the point which makes you stop trying to get better. I have continued school, finished high school (took me two years longer but I made it), because I chose to continue my life. The reason behind that is because the feeling of putting your life on hold is more stressful to me than anything. I welcome help from anyone, but I need to do all the work to cure myself. 

I've heard of cognitive therapy, and even if health care is almost free for patients in Sweden, it is very hard to get in therapy or even to meet a proper psychologist. But the fact to go out and talking to a stranger may not be the answer to some people. What is there to do on your own? What can I do for myself? That is a question you need to find the answers to.

I have discovered that looking through beatuiful objects and art helps with the flashing images. It often prevent nightmares if I do it enough before bedtime. Eating vitamines and minerals helps a lot too. Especially B-vitamines and magnesium is good for mental problems and depression. 

There is also such a thing as happy food, and it works. Not against the stronger problems, like a day of anxiety or a panic attack, but you can cure a depression with the right kind of food and sunlight. 

Food like salmon, carrots, bananas, cacao, nuts, seeds, oats, cinnamon, camomill, ginger and lots of other good things to eat can prevent and cure a depression (if it isn't chemical inbalance in your brain). 

Another tip is scented candles, oils and drinking tea. Lavender and camomill is great to sooth the mind. But keep in mind, these advices is pathetic when you have a severe mental problem. it doesn't hurt to follow these advices though, and even if it is also stressful, you should always try to do everything to make you feel better.

Something to keep in mind... the root of your problems is often the environment you live in. The people, your home - they are a big part of your wellbeing. No therapy or any advice can make it better in a toxic environment!

Try to figure out the root of your problems, and if you already know what it is... firgure out what to do to heal the damage. It is easier said than done, but that must always be a goal. Not a demand... a goal. 

It is also very wise to know when you get advice from an ignorant person or, frankly, an asshole. They don't know much about life, and even less about yours. You are the person trying to make your life better, and even if you've been the reason, or a part of your own damage, you are still the person who tries to heal you. Nobody can take that away from you. 

Believe in your own strength and will. Cut yourself some slack sometimes, pat your own back, but don't put yourself down. Keep your surrounding optimistic and work constructively. Enjoy what you enjoy and don't forget the small things in life. It may sound cheesy... but it's true.