Life With PTSD – Blog

How Ultra Running Rebuilt My Body, My Mind, and My Life In March of 2025, I couldn’t move. My back had completely gone out, and I was stuck on the couch, staring at the ceiling, wondering how things had gotten so far off track. Just a few years earlier, after retiring in 2018, I thought…

From Broken to Running Again Even before my Army years, I considered myself a runner. When I joined the Army, I was forced to become a real one. For nearly 22 years, I ran daily, counting down the day I could retire and never have to run again. That didn’t last long. A few years…

Navigating Social Interactions with PTSD: A Veteran’s Perspective For individuals living with PTSD, social interactions can be one of the greatest challenges. The fear of being judged, misunderstood, or triggering intense emotional reactions often leads to isolation and limits opportunities for positive social engagement. Avoiding people, places, or situations that remind them of trauma is…

Seeing Problems Differently: Perspective, Responsibility, and PTSD When I see something broken, I try to fix it. When I see a problem, I try to solve it. The one thing I always do is approach it from a different angle. It’s always good to gain a fresh perspective. That can come from physically changing how…

Breaking the Stigma: Why We Need to Talk About Mental Illness Hiding mental illness contributes to the stigma surrounding mental health. When people are reluctant to speak openly about their struggles, it perpetuates the idea that mental health challenges are shameful or abnormal. This stigma can discourage others from seeking help and create a culture…

Living with PTSD and Brain Fog: Understanding Dissociation and Mental Haze Living outside of your body — often called a dissociative experience — can be disorienting and distressing. For individuals with PTSD, this sensation is particularly common. PTSD is a mental health condition triggered by traumatic events, where the brain struggles to process intense emotions…

Surviving the Holidays with PTSD: Tips for Veterans and Others The holidays can be one of the most challenging times of the year for those living with PTSD. Social gatherings, sensory overload, and unexpected triggers make it difficult to enjoy the season. But with thoughtful planning and self-care, it is possible to navigate this time…

Writing Through PTSD Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can profoundly affect a person’s life. It often brings chaotic mental states, intrusive memories, flashbacks, and anxiety, making it hard to focus or articulate thoughts. However, there are strategies to manage these challenges, and for me, writing became a way to bring some order to the chaos. How…