What are YOU doing to help yourself with PTSD?

I've taken care of myself. I understand my demons and keep a handle. Believe it or not, M.A.S.H. has helped. I've watched the show and can relate to many of the situations. I've also got a VN Vet with whom I spend time with when I can. He listens when I talk, I listen when he talks. We also have lots of quite time with a Jim Beam in hand.

Photography and Art. Creative therapy on my own.

The only answer I have for this is "The best I can..." Sometimes it works great, sometimes not so great... Sometimes I remember my support system, PBT, CBT, life skills, counseling, resilience etc and all is great with the world; and sometimes, I wish the world would just go the **** away... I quit drinking, quit smoking, eat healthier and I feel great, and sometimes, I feel dirty, weak and sick... The Lord really is my shepherd so I do not want for anything, but sometimes, I want is not typical or understood... Sometimes just knowing and doing all of these things isn't enough, but I must admit and acknowledge, not knowing would/could probably be much much worse. I appreciate reading your posts on PTSD here as they solidly remind me that I've come a long way, but also instills the reality that I still got a ways to go... :)

CPT (Join to see), Great post and thanks for sharing. I don’t have PTSD and I can’t truly empathize with others that have PTSD, but I can sympathize with service members and their families that have to deal with the outcomes of having PTSD. The main thing that I can do for myself is to keep myself knowledgeable about possible symptoms of PTSD and knowing the many outreach and support group professionals available for service members that need the support. I want to remain a responsible leader on this topic and be able to help any Soldier, peer or leader if the time needs be.

I help other vets with Veterans Media Services. Veterans helping veterans. Best medicine one can take.

http://veteransmediaservices.50webs.com/

There's a program called Evolution in Landstuhl for Active Duty stationed in Europe, that I recently "graduated" from. It is an 8 week outpatient treatment for PTSD. I was very skeptical before going but it was very beneficial. Very difficult but very rewarding.

Have any of you guys who are dealing with PTSD been to the VA for their assistance?? The VA in Palo Alto CA working with Stanford Medical Center had a program to help with PTSD. And from what I understand other VA Medical Centers also have PTSD treatment programs..

I take my medication as prescribed. I do my yoga, going to the chiropractor and acupuncture. I also educate myself about PTSD and try to stay in tune with current event treatments of PTSD. I have gone to a PTSD Support Group and I have also gone to CPT-Cognitive Processing Therapy. It did help too. There is also Sponsor a Vet website, all kinds of resources. I also have a WRAP-Wellness Recovery Action Plan too. You as an individual need to know what your triggers are. Positive Self Talk, deep breathing, reading warrior ptsd self help books. Make the Connection. Reading poetry about the Vietnam War from a soldier who was with the 101st Airborne. I have wife, my two sons, and my two labs. My Christian Faith in Jesus Christ plays a big part too.

My son was watching the Soldier's Silent Night on his I-pad and he began to cry. I asked him what was wrong? My son stated, "The soldier is alone, and he is lonely, he has no bed to sleep on except the floor". Once I heard my son say this about his feelings, my heart melted. I explained to my son, there are some people who make the decision to satisfice and to fight for the values and principles of what
America is about, and what it stands for, and fighting for our Christian faith too. I told him, I made the choice to do that and I have the physical and invisible scars to show for it. My son came to me and gave me the biggest hug. I fight for them.

Living life is already difficult without the stigma of a title. I retired in 2003 and never knew that I had PTSD, although I had an incident while on recruiting duty in 1994 that lead to me leaving my tour early. I reported to mental health for about 6 weeks and they knew I had PTSD; however, they failed or neglected to even place it in my official files. So, if the US Army at that time kept it from my official files, I can only imagine what it would do to soldiers now. I understand what stigma is associated with PTSD and live with it daily. After returning as a contractor in 2010, from Kandahar, Afghanistan, I was in such a state that I decided I had to get treatment at all costs or lose my sanity. My treatment team was amazed at my progress after 6 months and many will tell you that they believed, I wasn't going to make it. I was tattered and frayed - mentally. I lived outside the wire between the red zone and amber zone at night and worked in the red zone by day. I witnessed kidnappings, explosions, shootings, and wondered many times when was my time going to be. I survived until 1st vacation term and resigned.
I endured 6 months of outpatient PTSD and personal recovery programs, almost as if being at the VA hospital was a full-time job. The National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) Groups also helped twice a week. I joined a group that was sponsored by the Hampton VAMC (Virginia) which was comprised of veteran-to-veteran facilitators who had been seen and suffered from PTSD or other mental health illnesses. This gave me a feel of brotherhood and that there was someone who knew what I was dealing with in my life. This helped my healing process go smoother.
I recommend to any unit, group, or team to develop your own recovery group to assist and lead to service members to self-recovery through open dialogue. If someone does not want to deal with a mental health professional, at least they can talk with others who have or may want to get through this process of self recovery with people they trust. Maybe, if the military create training to aid soldiers in this process and model it like combat lifesaver training, we can recover a portion of the generation of combat soldiers that witnessed war at its worse.

taking my meds, going to church, trying to spread the gospel, seeing my social worker almost weekly and trying to seek friends on here, but no one has responded yet to me.