((djembe8))),

Are you working with a therapist right now? Often when something bad happens it can take time for the PTSD symptoms to get really challenging. It sounds like you have not really worked through the trama, sometimes that takes time and the PTSD can get worse if you don't get the right help as well. I experienced that myself, I could not afford therapy for a while. I finally found a therapist that would work with me on the cost and he has been so much help to me.

The depression is probably a reaction to the anxiety, because if you don't learn to slowly control the anxiety, it gets tiring. I know, because I really struggled with that for a while myself. You "can" develope ways to help yourself with the anxiety and get to a point where you actually gain a lot more control over it. I didn't think I could learn to control it myself, but in time, I did learn that you actually "can".

Coping methods, ok,
Well, make sure you don't "feed into it" because when the anxiety starts it is easy to become "a deer in headlights" and begin thinking about it more and more and making it worse. And the anxiety usually comes from "flight response" an urge to run. And when that happens, the body begins to produce cortizol and it builds up to actually prepare the body to run. So what you have to do is learn to get your brain and body away from that so instead of it "building up" your body begins to realize the cortizol is not needed and it slowly begins to process it and get rid of it.

How you achieve that is to find something that brings your mind to a more "relaxing" state that doesn't give any kind of "flight" signals. And that could be as simple as getting a coloring book and sitting and coloring and allowing yourself to get very focused and relaxed in doing that. While you are doing that and slowly allowing yourself to "relax" your body "will" get rid of the cortizol and the "anxiety" will go away. Even picking up a book to read, sometimes watching a relaxing movie, taking a nice relaxing shower, practicing "meditation", taking a quiet walk and allowing your mind to just slow down and relax.

One time when I got to my T's I was so full of anxiety and yet totally unraveled and exhausted too in a way. He told me to close my eyes and picture a big black board like in school. He told to walk up to the black board and grab a piece of chalk from the shelf and draw the number 10. He then told me to grab an eraser in my other hand and erase the number 10 and to feel the eraser glide across the board wiping that number away. Then he told me to write the number 9 and again erase that number. And he talked me through "all" the numbers down to 1. He then asked me to open my eyes, and I felt "much better". And he explained to me what I am explaining to you here.

So your goal is to understand and your "observing" what is happening to your body, and you are "addressing it and telling it to "calm down" no emergency. And it does work. And the more you practice "contoling" and lowering your "cortizol" you will gain more control and have less and less anxiety.

I also come to PC and read and even post to other people and that "also" slows down my mind and I begin to feel better.

Try doing that and remind yourself what you are doing and don't let yourself "feed into the anxiety" or any PTSD flareups. I still have times when I struggle myself, but I also have learned that I will also slowly get myself back together again.

(((Hugs)))
Open Eyes