How many of you have experienced this?
You are having a good day and are excited to get home. When you do get home, your veteran is in a bad mood. He starts yelling at you about everything, and it is usually something that isn't really important. They call you names and make you feel bad about yourself. You try to calm them down, but it seems that whatever you say, they turn it negative. You feel lost and alone at that moment and wonder how long you can put up with this.
Anger can be a normal response for those that are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It’s a survival response that helps them cope with their stress. But sometimes they get stuck and they respond to all stress in a survival mode. Their thoughts and beliefs are also affected by their PTSD and it is hard for us to understand what our veteran is going through and why they are taking out their anger on us.
You are having a good day and are excited to get home. When you do get home, your veteran is in a bad mood. He starts yelling at you about everything, and it is usually something that isn't really important. They call you names and make you feel bad about yourself. You try to calm them down, but it seems that whatever you say, they turn it negative. You feel lost and alone at that moment and wonder how long you can put up with this.
Anger can be a normal response for those that are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It’s a survival response that helps them cope with their stress. But sometimes they get stuck and they respond to all stress in a survival mode. Their thoughts and beliefs are also affected by their PTSD and it is hard for us to understand what our veteran is going through and why they are taking out their anger on us.
What can we do to help?
There are some things that we can do to help our veteran so that they will have different responses and not be so quick to act out. Some things that we can help them with could be telling them to take a timeout, having them write down their thoughts when they are angry, counting slowly, and changing the pattern of acting first and thinking later. They need to learn how to think first before they act.
You have to try to remember what they have been through and what they are going through at that moment. Try to remember that it really isn't you that they are angry at.
You have to try to remember what they have been through and what they are going through at that moment. Try to remember that it really isn't you that they are angry at.
