PTSD Professional Perspective: Have you completed your RECON? Part 2

Last week Beau started to explain what RECON was. This week he begins to break down the acronym:

R is for Record Yourself

Due to the complicated nature of this anxiety disorder, no two case of PTSD are ever the same.  You may share many symptoms and emotions with other stressed combat buddies, but your experiences will never been identical.  For this reason, I would urge you to begin documenting your life moving forward.  World-class athletes record their daily workouts, nutritional intake, moods, energy level, sleep quantity and quality, water intake, and recovery therapy and supplementation.  They do this for several reasons.  First, they have set goals to attain and they know that they must do everything possible, within their control, to prepare to meet these goals.  Recording their steps along the way help to reinforce their goals and provide a record to compare to their progress.  Prior to starting any therapy, how much more effective do you think your work would be if you could look back over the course of 30, 60, or 90 days and began to draw some conclusions about how you are feeling and possibly what is triggering your emotional states?  This doesn’t have to be a formally written text.  It could be a simple checklist of the activities I outlined above.  The point is you begin to “observe” the disorder and allows you to know more about yourself.

E is for Educate Yourself

As most of us know, PTSD does not have a laboratory test that indicates the existence of the disorder.  A diagnosis is made base on your individual history and experience.  Symptoms are not the same for all that are diagnosed.  The time it takes for these symptoms to become noticeable is not the same for everyone, and the severity of the symptoms is commonly different for all.  Because you have a multi-faceted disorder, it is important for you to understand as much as possible about your symptoms, your treatment plan, any medication you have been prescribed, and to know all the members of your treatment team.  It sounds like a lot to learn, right?  Some of you are probably wondering how you’ll remember all that information?  I guess the idea of writing in a journal is starting to look like a good idea now, huh?  Sun Tzu (a great military philosopher) once said, “if you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles.”  Knowing that the road to healing your PTSD is a process of similar to a hundred battles, doesn’t it make sense to know your enemy?

C is for Care for Yourself

We’ve all heard the saying, “you are what you eat”, right?  This is especially true for warriors with PTSD.  If you have recently returned to the civilian world, you probably noticed that you have an immense amount of choices when it comes to food and drink.  I know the military does a pretty good job of providing you with some choices even in the harsh environments you have been living in.  But they pale in comparison to even a local mall food court!  Caring for yourself starts with what you put into our body.  Understanding the value of good nutrition and the long term implications it will have on your body are so important, especially if you are taking medication or are dealing with an emotionally charged demon like PTSD.  The same goes for drinking alcohol.  Ensure you communicate with your physician about the true amount of alcohol you are taking, as it may affect the medication you are being prescribed.  Caring for yourself goes beyond food and drink, as well.  It means to maintain good hygiene, it means to stay out of dangerous environments, it means to exercise, and it means to present your best self to the world to attract those that will support you as you move toward your healing objectives.

Next week Beau finishes the word….

 Beau is the CEO and Tribal Leader of Warrior Life Coach, LLC – a veteran-owned and Atlanta, Georgia based Life Coaching practice. He is a former Airborne Ranger with over 15 years experience in the healthcare arena.  He is a combat veteran with a passion for coaching, mentoring, and helping those he works with gain more in their lives.

Warrior Life Coaching brings together the disciplines of military planning, neuroscience, and personal efficiency with the intent of providing all clients a unique and systematic approach to achieving more in their lives in the areas of love, health, wealth, and self-image.

The opinions in this post are solely those of the author. To contribute to ‘Professional Perspective’ contact Michele.

Tags: anxiety, Beau Chatham, combat, ptsd, symptoms