June was National PTSD Awareness Month, however, this is a post that I have been wanting to write for some time now. Not only because I teach others how to blog, but because I also emphasize why blogging is good for the brain.
The Beauty and Blogging Mixer in May was actually the premise behind the event because for me journaling has always been a way to self-heal. Head over to read the post if you missed it in May.
According to the website Anxiety.org PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder doesn’t just affect our brave men and women in the military, it also affects non-military civilians as well.
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that can occur following a traumatic experience. Many people think about PTSD in the context of military combat and war veterans. However, PTSD symptoms can develop from experiences involving natural disasters, serious accidents, life-threatening illnesses, physical abuse, and sexual assault during childhood or adulthood.
A traumatic event that precedes the onset of PTSD can be experienced either directly or indirectly by an individual. Learning how a loved one died a violent death, or watching someone be assaulted, are examples of indirect trauma exposure. A trauma, whether directly or indirectly experienced, often threatens a person’s sense of self, world, and future, causing trauma-exposed individuals to experience substantial emotional distress.
The prevalence of trauma exposure is above 50 percent for both men and women in the United States. In fact, 61 percent of men and 51 percent of women have experienced at least one trauma during their lifetime (Perkonigg, et al., 2000). Fortunately, only 8.1 percent of men and 20.4 percent of women who experience a trauma go on to develop PTSD (Kessler, et al., 1995).
In 1992, I too suffered a form of PTSD which lasted for two years. Long before I knew anything about blogging I started writing a journal which helped me tremendously. Every day the task of writing my thoughts and feelings in a spiral notebook helped me to navigate the world of which I wanted to leave.
Next month on the anniversary of my sister’s death, I will be posting a collaborative article with my cousin which will reveal the incidents that were the catalyst for our PTSD.
Please understand that I am not saying that blogging is a cure, but I do want those who may be suffering from any form of PTSD or mental depression to know that writing or journaling can help in the healing process and may lessen the need for medications.
Let’s Chat: Do you find writing helps to release tension and anxiety?
May peace be with you, my friends!
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I certainly have to agree with you that blogging is good for the brain. Everyone has something of value they can write and publish to a blog and share with the universe online. Blogging is also good for the brain in my personal opinion because I feel everyone has rambling thoughts in the back of their mind they need to get out into the universe and release. The rambling thoughts in the back of most people’s minds may not make sense in the moment; the person may feel relieved of the pressure of those thoughts released once they get it out of their mind and before others to read.
Additionally, the rambling thoughts in the back of some people’s minds can actually turn out to be :good affiliate money.” Good affiliate money in a sense of publishing the long-winded rambling thoughts into a blog post surrounded by ads from affiliate networks such as Commission Junction (CJ.com) , Google AdSense, LinkShare.com, AWin.com, Tradedoubler.com, MaxBounty.com, Shareasale.com, and other ads from affiliate networks which will potentially result in earning affiliate commissions from and surrounding the blog posts rambling thoughts and. Maybe I’m just talking too much right about now. LOL
Just had to share my humble two cents on this post now that you mentioned “blogging is good for the brain. Close quote thank you for this thought-provoking post. Keep up the good work! 🙂
You know that I am now always looking for your “two cents” so keep it coming. I started journaling in a diary in 1973 and when my sons were young I had them do the same. There’s nothing like the release of thoughts from the mind and putting them down on paper and I think more people should try it.
However, with social media, micro-blogging platforms in particular, people should pause before they post, stop before they snap and think before they tweet – because once those words and thoughts are out there – it’s often too hard to bring them back.