Serious post for once.
As many know I’ve suffered horrendously. The bad days of 2018 & 2021 and 2023 to an extent. I’d not wish this on my worst enemy. The night terrors, the intrusive thoughts, the flashbacks. The non- verbal, the self imploding, the hiding away , the abstaining from crowds or groups, the constant exhausting scanning for risk & danger.
I’ve learnt to “deal” with it. To accept it, yet it won’t leave me. It’s who I am.
But you can learn to manage it, to accept it, move on and make a new you. That’s what I did. But I’ll never pretend it wasn’t a struggle. And I KNOW I’ll relapse.
The help is there, I spoke out and got it. Life’s easier. Not fixed, but accepted and we move on.
Policing or blue light services can & will break you. Be attuned to the risk, the signs, your own mind. Speak up. Get help, talk to your colleagues. You. Are. Not. Alone.
#PTSDAwareness