This article comes with a warning. This article talks about mental illness that could trigger some people.

Many people believe that PTSD is something only soldiers coming back from war can have. That is not always true. People who are not soldiers can get PTSD from what they have experienced throughout their life. PTSD stands for Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder. People believe that people are lying when they say that they have it. They say that they’re just trying to get attention. This is not true.

Everyday someone in the world has something tragic happen to them. It can be as small as being mugged, or as big as being sexually assaulted. Though PTSD can affect everyone differently. Most people go through life ashamed of what happened to them, so they refused to talk about what happened to them, even though it wasn’t their fault.

Imagined the worst thing that has happened to you. Now imagine having that thought follow you around everyday. Having it keep you up all night. Having that thought slowly eat at you. Soon you start believe things that you have never believed before. You start to believe that you are worthless, that the world would be better off without your anxiety-filled mind. You start to think that everyone is judging you. When you hear someone talking behind you, you believe they are talking about you, but you don’t have the courage to ask them about it, or to figure out what they are actually talking about.

You want to talk to your friends about it, but you are scared you are going to bother them, believing that they think you are annoying them, though in reality they really wanna talk to you. You tend to overthink everything. If you messed up your words when you talked to someone you think that they are annoyed with you, or that you don’t have the knowledge to continue the conversation, even though that is not true.

There will be times when you have good days, but even on your good days you still will have moments where you relive it. You picture it all in your head again, you can still feel what it feels like. These flashback can happen anytime anywhere. You could be in class and suddenly it will pop into your head.

To anyone who is suffering from PTSD just know that you are not alone. There are people who seem to be fine, but are struggling everyday. You may not see it, but it is there. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. People are willing to listen to what is bothering you, even if it is the tenth time you have told the story. Know that one day you are going to be okay. Know that no matter what it will get better. Know that your future is bright. One day you will believe this, and you will be happy again, it may take awhile but you will get there one day.