Awareness
There are lots of different colored ribbons out there; yellow for deployed servicemembers, pink for breast cancer, and the list goes on. The blue one in the picture is for PTSD Awareness month, that’s this month.
If you know me well or listened to the Daily American Podcast episodes I did with Dan Cianci, you know that I have been diagnosed with Complex PTSD. Not all PTSD is the same and, while there are some commonalities about how it manifests itself, it isn’t the same for everyone. In many people, you’d never know it unless they told you. Hell, I didn’t even know I had it until it was diagnosed.
Deep down I knew something was different, but I didn’t know what it was. Once I knew, it took a while before I embraced it, but then I started to feel better in the sense that I was aware. That doesn’t mean it goes away. It will probably never go away, but at least I know what it is. For me, I refer to those times as “grey days” where I just feel like crap. They come and they go, no reason why, they just do. That’s me though.
If you didn’t know and I told you I had PTSD, you’d probably say “Five combat tours? Not a big surprise,” but there are lots of people who suffer from PTSD for lots of different reasons. You never know who or why. Servicemembers, first responders, medical professionals are all populations with high instances of PTSD within them, but it isn’t limited to them. It could be your neighbor, the lady at the gas station, your restaurant server, or even your boss. You just never know what someone has been through and the impact it has had on them.
Do me a favor, take it easy on people. Stop and ask someone if they are OK when it seems they are out of sorts. Don’t be an asshole just because someone isn’t moving fast enough or doing exactly what you need them to do. You have no idea what may be going on inside their head.
If you suffer from PTSD, there are lots of places to go for help. Go. Ask for help. Trust me, once you understand what is happening to you, it is easy to deal with it. If you think someone is suffering, ask them if they need help. Help them.
Thanks and please take care of each other.