Let's bring some more awareness shall we
a week ago
Awareness of what exactly ptsd, anxiety, and depression actually is, since everyone thinks they know better. Most folks think its a choice, the intrusive thoughts and flashbacks, memories, outlook, personal choice, and the people who suffer with those issues(like myself) are just choosing to have those thoughts, choosing to not get past whatever is causing them, and choosing to be miserable and struggle, too lazy to work and want to get support from the system or other people. "Just ignore those thoughts", "think of something happier", "those thoughts or memories, or feelings start flooding in, just stop the flood by going to do something else or think of something else, distract yourself", etc etc.
The awareness is, that's not how that works. That's why those memories, thoughts, feelings, are INTRUSIVE, and can sometimes be detrimental depending on the events that caused them. Just like the events that caused them in the 1st place weren't a choice, the reaction or fallout of those intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, etc, aren't a choice either. Something triggers them and they're just there. "Well, avoid those triggers then, duh." Oh gee, if only those with these issues(like myself) thought of that. Avoidance isn't always possible either. For example, growing up in the household I did where I was raped, beaten often, tossed around, threatened, yelled at, mother died in the home(from cancer), or my loved ones and belongings threatened, some combination of these sometimes, if I didn't cater to my old mans wishes the moment he wished to have them, my triggers that make me panic and go into fight or flight and shake or seize in really really bad instances, in response range from as simple as raised voices, to just mildly aggressive behavior like slamming doors or just slamming things; I can even be triggered by loud noises cause it sounds like slamming. I am also triggered by large groups of people and being overly sexual to me when I don't know or trust you, cause of the rape, as it had an audience who just sat there and let it happen. This also causes the intrusion of depressive thoughts since no one was there for me to stop it. Frost that with all the family members who died, and all the relationships that ghosted, those depressive thoughts and feelings force their way in, introducing abandonment in as well(which does not just go away either since it constantly reinforced by blaming and ghosting for being the victim, like being a victim was a choice too).
That's how those issues work. They're like a bullet through the brain. For those who suffer from them, it's nearly impossible to just will them out and stop it. That's why there is medication and a lot of patience and therapy needed, and why some never get over them. That's why so many with those issues often have unhealthy coping mechanisms too, like drug addiction or alcohol(I don't have an addiction like that, but I'm sure some of my copes aren't the best, like clinging to plushies, or following a mate that does feel safe like a puppy does). In truth, telling folks with these issues to just get over it, don't think about it, running away from them or ghosting them after they emotionally open up to you, for their issues, etc, just triggers all over again and makes those issues that much harder to deal with because that is blaming them for those issues, like they deserved to be ghosted and deserved to have those events that gave them the issues happen. Most with these issues hate themselves, ourselves, already. We hate ourselves more when it's thrown back in our faces as our fault we have them and struggle with them. Think of those intrusive thoughts, health issues, and such as a large heavy package. That package only gets larger and heavier, more difficult to manage, with every abandoned or thrown under the bus as the problem, treatment. When you have a heavy large package what are you supposed to do? Get help right? Not blame the person for being too weak to lift the damn package by themselves
Let's be honest, going off on a tangent, that is how real relationships are supposed to work as well. You see them struggle, you really love them, you help them with it; not always 50/50, sometimes its 60/40, 75/25, 99/1(but not forever if you're patient enough). You're not supposed to dump them and go on to the next and leave them with that weight to figure it out, label them as a burden or the problem. Especially if despite any issues like the main bulk of this is talking about, that person was good to you, and does do their best, try. When you hit a pothole and blow a tire, you don't throw the whole car away over one damaged tire, and you don't blame the car for hitting the bump, you go get it fixed and you wait on it. Why treat people who actually have feelings and can degrade further being blamed and/or abandoned, any different, am I right?
Honestly I'm not even going to dive into physical issues. But don't blame people for those either, like blindness, being crippled, unable to handle things, etc. A lot of the time those aren't their fault either but something they were born with
The awareness is, that's not how that works. That's why those memories, thoughts, feelings, are INTRUSIVE, and can sometimes be detrimental depending on the events that caused them. Just like the events that caused them in the 1st place weren't a choice, the reaction or fallout of those intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, etc, aren't a choice either. Something triggers them and they're just there. "Well, avoid those triggers then, duh." Oh gee, if only those with these issues(like myself) thought of that. Avoidance isn't always possible either. For example, growing up in the household I did where I was raped, beaten often, tossed around, threatened, yelled at, mother died in the home(from cancer), or my loved ones and belongings threatened, some combination of these sometimes, if I didn't cater to my old mans wishes the moment he wished to have them, my triggers that make me panic and go into fight or flight and shake or seize in really really bad instances, in response range from as simple as raised voices, to just mildly aggressive behavior like slamming doors or just slamming things; I can even be triggered by loud noises cause it sounds like slamming. I am also triggered by large groups of people and being overly sexual to me when I don't know or trust you, cause of the rape, as it had an audience who just sat there and let it happen. This also causes the intrusion of depressive thoughts since no one was there for me to stop it. Frost that with all the family members who died, and all the relationships that ghosted, those depressive thoughts and feelings force their way in, introducing abandonment in as well(which does not just go away either since it constantly reinforced by blaming and ghosting for being the victim, like being a victim was a choice too).
That's how those issues work. They're like a bullet through the brain. For those who suffer from them, it's nearly impossible to just will them out and stop it. That's why there is medication and a lot of patience and therapy needed, and why some never get over them. That's why so many with those issues often have unhealthy coping mechanisms too, like drug addiction or alcohol(I don't have an addiction like that, but I'm sure some of my copes aren't the best, like clinging to plushies, or following a mate that does feel safe like a puppy does). In truth, telling folks with these issues to just get over it, don't think about it, running away from them or ghosting them after they emotionally open up to you, for their issues, etc, just triggers all over again and makes those issues that much harder to deal with because that is blaming them for those issues, like they deserved to be ghosted and deserved to have those events that gave them the issues happen. Most with these issues hate themselves, ourselves, already. We hate ourselves more when it's thrown back in our faces as our fault we have them and struggle with them. Think of those intrusive thoughts, health issues, and such as a large heavy package. That package only gets larger and heavier, more difficult to manage, with every abandoned or thrown under the bus as the problem, treatment. When you have a heavy large package what are you supposed to do? Get help right? Not blame the person for being too weak to lift the damn package by themselves
Let's be honest, going off on a tangent, that is how real relationships are supposed to work as well. You see them struggle, you really love them, you help them with it; not always 50/50, sometimes its 60/40, 75/25, 99/1(but not forever if you're patient enough). You're not supposed to dump them and go on to the next and leave them with that weight to figure it out, label them as a burden or the problem. Especially if despite any issues like the main bulk of this is talking about, that person was good to you, and does do their best, try. When you hit a pothole and blow a tire, you don't throw the whole car away over one damaged tire, and you don't blame the car for hitting the bump, you go get it fixed and you wait on it. Why treat people who actually have feelings and can degrade further being blamed and/or abandoned, any different, am I right?
Honestly I'm not even going to dive into physical issues. But don't blame people for those either, like blindness, being crippled, unable to handle things, etc. A lot of the time those aren't their fault either but something they were born with
A partner isn't a therapist, true, and personally, I never treat/treated a partner like a therapist. However, why shouldn't a person have both a partner, and a therapist. Therapist for help, partner for love and loyalty on that 2 way street. It ain't healthy or real love if it's conditional on being over or hiding issues. Issues will never get resolved when they inevitably pop up. Oops, blown tire, I want a new car.
Healthy is it goes both ways, sometimes uneven because life isn't always fair for one or the other or both, and you support eachother through that instead of throwing it away for someone who isn't struggling with something, always chasing perfection. Healthy is being loyal and open, and if there's a problem between you, you talk and try to work it out, and if there's a problem with yourself, you be honest about it, but go get help, and still have/expect them be there for you when you get home