Supporting a loved one with PTSD can be challenging, but studies show a supportive home life offers the best chance for recovery from trauma. When someone you love is hurting, it can be hard to know where to start. Today, the team at Mental Health Hotline is offering our best tips on living with a partner with PTSD.
Educate Yourself About PTSD and Your Loved One’s Triggers
Every PTSD experience is different, but each one is rooted in the same thing: trauma. PTSD can develop from ongoing childhood abuse, experiences serving in the military, after a violent incident like a serious car accident or robbery, or after sexual assault. Listen to your loved one carefully when they explain their traumatic experience, but don’t press for details. Instead, pay close attention to their triggers so you’re present when something triggers the PTSD response.
Create a Safe Space With Open Communication
Some people with PTSD may need to talk about their experiences over and over, while others may not wish to relive it through conversation. While it’s important not to push someone with PTSD to talk, it is important that they know that when they’re ready to talk, you’re there to listen. Make it clear that you care and are interested but try not to give advice. It’s the listening that your loved one needs in the moment.
Be Patient and Understanding
Living with a person with post-traumatic stress disorder can be unpredictable and challenging. It’s important to know that progress isn’t going to be linear — your loved one will have good days and bad days. Recognize the indications that your loved one may have a flashback, and try to be understanding when they’re especially anxious or depressed.
Encourage Your Loved One to Seek Professional Help
Love and support at home aren’t enough to heal someone with post-traumatic stress disorder. Targeted therapy from a licensed mental health professional experienced in helping people with PTSD can give your loved one the best chance to overcome their trauma and trauma responses and control their triggers enough to live a normal life.
Some people may be reluctant to seek treatment or be unsure how to get started. You can work with your partner to find mental help in your insurance network and your area; the hotlines on the Mental Health Hotline site can point you in the right direction, and the experts on the other end of the line are available 24/7 to answer your questions.
Practice Self-Care for Yourself
Managing life with someone with PTSD takes a toll on even the best caregiver. The worry over your loved one’s emotional state and the stress of managing episodes of depression, outbursts, or life-impacting anxiety affect your emotional state, too.
Practicing self-care, like eating healthy food, setting a consistent sleep schedule, and getting regular exercise, can help keep you healthy enough to care for your loved one as they go through PTSD therapy.
You also need to carve out time for yourself to relax, indulge in your favorite hobby, or talk to a mental health counselor of your own. Individual therapy for caregivers is available in your area, although many people may not realize they need it.
Offer Reassurance and Validation
One of the primary ways PTSD expresses itself is by leaving the person who has it with a profound sense of being isolated and alone. Simply sitting quietly beside your loved one can offer reassurance that you’re there. Reaffirm your commitment to them, and validate their concerns and fears, even when you can’t understand them.
When you make promises to your loved one, make sure to keep them. Keeping promises shows your loved one they can trust you and helps foster the sense of trust they need in you to open up emotionally.
Foster a Supportive Environment and Sense of Stability
Create a sense of stability by establishing a routine. Unpredictability can cause anxiety and evoke a PTSD reaction, especially if your loved one experiences it due to abuse. The structure of a predictable routine creates a sense of safety and security for people with PTSD, both children and adults.
You can incorporate chores around the house, taking walks outside, attending therapy with your loved one, and planning time to spend together. Make plans for the future with your loved one. Many people with PTSD have a persistent feeling that their future is limited. When you make future plans with them, you’re reaffirming your relationship.
Do You Need Help Coping With a Partner’s PTSD?
If you’re unsure where to find mental health resources in your area, we can help. Mental Health Hotline partners with trained professionals offering support over the phone and online and helping you find the right mental health professional to help your loved one. Check out our PTSD resources.