Advice getting through another crisis
PTSD Patrol
Kathie Costos
April 8, 2020
I am going to start this the way I usually end a video...with what you are empowered to do. "...go do the best things in life...make the most of the rest of your life.""So now go do the best things in lifeTake a bite of this world while you canMake the most of the rest of your life"Disturbed - Hold on to Memories
Right now the world is living through global pandemic trauma. Life as they knew it ended. As of yesterday "There are at least 387,547 cases of coronavirus in the United States and at least 12,291 people have died, according to Johns Hopkins University's tally of cases." according to a CNN running update. That means at least that many have experienced the trauma of fighting for their lives. Even more have experienced the trauma of it coming into their families and the fear of it happening to those who have thus far escaped it.
While some people take a callous attitude to take advantage of the trauma, many more are going out to make sure others stay alive, even if it means they are subjecting themselves to more trauma.
Aside from hurricanes and this pandemic, I survived life altering trauma 10 times. I know what it can do to lives, but the key is, only if we allow it to gain control.
This is from ABC News
Calls to US helpline jump 891%, as White House is warned of mental health crisis
Last month the “Disaster Distress Helpline” at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) saw an 891% increase in call volume compared with March 2019, according to a spokesman for the agency, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services.Two ways to look at the report are, it is terrible that many are in crisis, or, there are many more fighting for their lives and acknowledging they need help. Please take that as a sign it is OK to ask for help if you need it too.
In fact, this March – ending little more than a week ago – saw 338% more calls to the helpline than in the month before, when the deadly virus began to take hold inside the U.S. homeland, and government officials began taking more extreme measures to stop its spread.
There are 57.8 million Americans currently living with mental or substance use disorders, according to SAMHSA.
But what else can we do against something we have no control over? Look at what we can control. We can control how we act and react.
We control what we do if we are healthy enough to help others.
We control if we act out of kindness and patience, or react with selfishness.
We control if we show that we are suffering too and are afraid to comfort someone else, or react with judgement unwilling to show we are not super-human.
I controlled what I did with my life the second I went from victim to survivor. So can you. We can be defined by what we do with our lives from this second onward.
One more thought is that if you have PTSD, these days are harder on you but now most Americans are sadly experiencing what you have been trying to explain to them for a long time. Use the opportunity to share it with them so that they finally understand and then, heal together.
One of my favorite groups is Disturbed. One of their songs, "Hold Onto The Memories" is a good way to look at life the way we know it now.
www.youtube.comLyricsListen, everyoneThe time will come when all of us say goodbyeFeel that aching in your heartLeaving you broken insideBut we're never really goneAs long as there's a memory in you mindSo now go do the best things in lifeTake a bite of this world while you canMake the most of the rest of your lifeMake a ride of this world while you canTake the ones you loveAnd hold them close because there is little timeAnd don't let it break your heartI know it feels hopeless sometimesBut they're never really goneAs long as there's a memory in you mindSo now go do the best things in lifeTake a bite of this world while you canMake the most of the rest of your lifeMake a ride of this world while you canAnd hold on to memoriesHold on to every momentTo keep them aliveThe world's greatest tragedySouls who are not rememberedCannot surviveSo now go do the best things in lifeBring the fight to this world while you canMake the most of the rest of your lifeShine your light on this world while you canAnd hold on to memoriesHold on to every momentTo keep them aliveThe world's greatest tragedySouls who are not rememberedCannot surviveAnd hold on to memories (Hold on)Hold on to every moment To keep them alive (Keep them alive)The world's greatest tragedy (Hold on)Souls who are not rememberedCannot surviveSource: LyricFindSongwriters: Dan Donegan / David Draiman / Kevin Churko / Mike WengrenHold On to Memories lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Easter is a season of redemption! Many are struggling with the fact that they cannot go to church to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus. Think of it this way. We can go to church and thank Jesus for the resurrection of humanity when this is all over.
We see miracles happen when a long list of fellow citizens knowing risk their lives to help others. None of us could make it without these heroes. They leave their own families and friends so they can take care of us.
They are doing it without the equipment they need to do it as safely as possible, endless stress piled onto all the other days they have been facing traumatic situations flooding in. Yet still, they show up and do it all over again.
Sunday morning empowerment zone talk about the power of forgiveness. When you address the mental health part of PTSD, the healing begins. It gets better when you add in doing things for your body. But what about your soul? That is where PTSD lives. When you begin to heal that, you begin to see miracles in your own life!
