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South Florida – How to Cope with PTSD and Live a Better Life

How to Cope with PTSD and Live a Better Life

PTSD can have a myriad of negative effects on a person’s routine life. Your mental and physical health can decline. Your work and relationships can take a downward turn as well.  But, learning to cope with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms can help you gain back control over your life.

Why Should You Practice Healthy Coping Strategies?

A major reason why you should address your PTSD symptoms is that they can lead to other complications. Depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and substance abuse are a few of them. Research suggests that someone with PTSD has a 6 times higher chance of developing depression as compared to a non-PTSD person.

PTSD Coping Strategies

Communicating your troubling experiences and thoughts to people can be overwhelming. But, learning to socialize in a healthy way can help you alleviate your symptoms.

Find Support Groups

Fortunately, it’s quite easy to find a group of people that share the same experiences. There are many local and online communities that you can join to get community support. Connecting with the people that are or have gone through similar experiences can be very helpful for your recovery. You also get to know about new and effective treatment options. Plus, the feeling that you are not alone can be a great motivation booster.

Spend Time with People

People with PTSD commonly avoid the company of others. Feelings like fear, anger, frustration, and anxiety can make you stay isolated, which can work against the you.  Spending some time with people that you feel comfortable with can help a lot or consider going for a walk, play a game, chat on the phone, share stories, or have a cup of tea with a loved one.

Mental Mindfulness

Taking out a few minutes to calm your mind can help alleviate the stress, overwhelm, and anxiety a PTSD patient feels. If you don’t feel comfortable concentrating for long periods, even a couple of minutes of quiet can help. You can then gradually add more minutes to your mindfulness exercise.

Exercise

Getting your body moving and having some fresh air outdoors can help you regulate your mood and feel better.

Studies suggest that exercise can help with stress, anxiety, and depression. A simple 10-minute walk can do the job effectively.

Here are some useful tips to make the most out of your exercising sessions:

  1. Find an enjoyable physical activity
  2. Start small and be consistent
  3. Listen to a podcast while exercising
  4. Go out with a friend
  5. Drink lots of fluids

Get Help from a Mental Health Counsellor in West Palm Beach / Lake Worth Area for PTSD

While you should keep on practicing the coping strategies, talking to a professional will speed up your recovery process. Talking to a counselor will help you have an effective long-term strategy for your PTSD.  Just make sure to find someone with the right expertise and knowledge and keep consistent with your sessions.

 

Self Esteem – A Better Mindset for Your Mental Health

Self Esteem – A Better Mindset

If you are suffering from low self-esteem, you can use some coping strategies and feel good about yourself again.

In this article, I’ll talk about what is self-esteem, reasons for low self-esteem, and strategies to cope with it and have a better mindset.

It’s important to note that low self-esteem isn’t a mental health problem in itself. But, if you leave it without addressing it for a long time, it can easily cause mental health problems like depression and anxiety.

What is Self-Esteem?

Self-esteem is how you perceive yourself to be. It is your sense of personal value and worth. In other words, it is a measure of how much you like and appreciate yourself.   There are other terms to describe this concept. These include “Self-respect”, “Self-regard”, and “Self-worth”.

Why is Self-Esteem Important?

Self-esteem has a vital role in your overall well-being. It impacts your relationships, decisions, and emotional health.

Healthy self-esteem helps you:

  • Have a good understanding of your potential and skills
  • Maintain healthy relationships with others
  • Have realistic expectations of yourself
  • Understand your needs better

Factors that Affect Your Self-Esteem & Mental Health

There can be different factors that affect your self-esteem. They also vary depending on the individual. Generally, the self-esteem of a person can be affected by:

  • Age
  • Genetics
  • Illness
  • Physical abilities
  • Thought patterns
  • Disability
  • Discrimination
  • Financial problems
  • Relationship issues

There might be more factors that can have a significant impact on your self-esteem. A mental health counselor can help you in that regard.  But, whatever the root cause is, there are perfectly effective ways to boost your self-esteem.

Improving Your Mental Self-Esteem – Transcend to a Better Mental Mindset

Fortunately, you can make small yet significant changes in your life to have a healthier mental mindset.

Let’s talk about a few of them:

Be mindful of negative thoughts: Identify negative thoughts that are bringing you down and reducing your sense of self-worth.

Counter negative thought patterns: When you feel your mind is engaging in negative thinking, try and counter them with positive thoughts.

Use positive self-talk: Practice positive self-talk to keep your self-esteem up.

Let a professional help you: If you think your thoughts are too overwhelming to control, get in touch with someone who can help.

Keep in mind that you might not be able to eliminate some causes of low self-esteem. For instance, genetics, personality, and early childhood experience.

But, that doesn’t mean you can’t address them. No matter the cause, talking to a mental health counselor will help you boost your self-esteem and move towards a better mindset.

Final Thoughts

Self-esteem is a sense of personal worth. How much do you respect and value yourself determines your self-esteem.  It is an important aspect of your personality because it affects almost every sphere of your life.

Fortunately, improving self-esteem and developing a healthy mindset are possible. You can either make some lifestyle changes yourself or you can get help from a professional mental health counselor. The important thing is taking action and ask for help.

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