PTSD Professional Perspective: Have You Completed Your RECON — Part 3

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In Part 1 of this 3 part series Beau Chatham explained what RECON is. In Part 2 he began to break down the acronyms. This week, the former second lieutenant, stationed with the 82d Airborne Division, completes the steps and tells us how to put it all together.

O is for Organize Yourself

Classic Time Management training (which I have a good deal of experience with) will teach you that the first thing about managing time is that it is a play on words.  No one manages time!  It keeps on moving, whether we want it to speed up or slow down.  The real name should be Self Management, because that is what really takes place.  The second thing you’ll learn in this classic instructional discipline is the foundation of a great personal organizational system exists with 3 things.  A calendar to record your commitments, a “to-do list” to record and prioritize your daily tasks, and a journal (there it is again) to record your daily activities and notes.   When you put something into a calendar, you’ve basically given yourself a mission, as you have a who, what where, when, and why involved in an appointment.  Common wisdom says, “only make commitments you plan on keeping.”  Therefore, I urge you to make very few commitments in your life.  Chose only the things that are vitally important to attend.  Learn to say NO on occasion.  It is a very powerful feeling, especially when you feel like you have no control.  Record your daily tasks, or to-dos in a separate list or area of a notebook or planner, because this list should be constantly updated.  Find a quiet time every day; either first thing in the morning or before you go to bed at night to plan your day and identify the Absolute Musts on your list…and then do those things first.  Even if you accomplish only a few items on your to-do list, if they are the most important tasks, you will develop a greater level of control over your time.  You don’t have to be perfect, you just need to be moving forward.

N is for Nurture Others

For the final item of attention in your RECON on PTSD, I urge you to nurture others, particularly your family members and loved ones.  I know how you are hurting and I have felt many of the emotions and sense of rage that comes from the stresses of combat.  I can also tell you that you are not the only one affected, especially if you have family and friends that care for you.  Involve them in your daily life, even in some small way.  Do not isolate yourself from them completely.  I recognize that from time to time you will need a quiet place to collect your thoughts.  However, if you make the effort to involve them and teach them what you have learned, they will be more understanding to your needs for occasional solitude.  Why not make an appointment to involve them?  If it’s the only commitment you make in your life, it will pay huge dividends in your recovery.  Nurturing also extends to your other wounded warriors.  If possible, find a group of service members that are struggling with this disorder and pass along these 5 things to them.  Help them to begin their own RECON against this unseen enemy. 

Take Away

Like a reconnaissance conducted on the battlefield, it is important to avoid contact with the enemy.  Using these steps will allow you to focus inward on the things you can control, instead of becoming overwhelmed with all that is going on around you.  In effect, this self-awareness helps you reduce contact with the triggers of stress related disorders.  It also allows you the opportunity to learn more about your disorder as you implement your healing operations.  If you will step back and think about what I am providing you here, it will become clear that these steps will work for you.  I can also say that they have for worked for others I coach.  RECON represents small daily steps that you can control and they will assist you in your healing process.  For those of you that are wondering, “which of these steps is the most important”, I would be happy to answer that, because I know it is the last step of nurturing others.

How do I know this?  I know this because you are reading this blog and sharing these tips is my way of nurturing other warriors in their fight against combat related stress.  I also know that the other 4 steps have worked for me, as well.  Besides, any warrior knows “if you’re gonna talk the talk, you better walk the walk.”  To learn more about my techniques and coaching, come to www.warriorlifecoach.com.

All the best,

Warrior, out!

 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: Beau Chatham, ptsd, RECON