Tag Archive for Anxiety

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD: Turning a Negative into a Positive

October 11, 2012 Achieve Success Academy No comments

neg pos Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD: Turning a Negative into a Positive
We all have problems but you must always remember, someone has it worse ~ John R. Salkowski

The first person you must take care of is yourself. If you have ever flown and listened to the flight attendants say in case of an aircraft decompression situation, put the oxygen mask on your face first, than onto the people that depend on you most. When it comes to being a sufferer and a survivor of PTSD, you must take care of yourself. Do not depend on anyone to turn your negative into a positive. I know it’s easier said than done, but you must continue to fight.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting a new client at their home. When the gentleman opened the door, he introduced himself as did I. Nice man; however he seemed to have the wind taken out of his sail. As we sat down, I began asking him questions about himself. I knew there was something occupying his mind. His appearance was neat but he just didn’t seem to be himself.

As we continued to talk, he mentioned he had a son and that would have been 16 years old last month. I wanted him to share more because it appeared that he needed to get things out his chest. I said, “Would you mind sharing more with me if that’s okay”. He shared with me that his then 14 year old son was killed in a car crash along with 3 of his friends. All killed instantly on a dark and narrow road. The car had left the roadway, striking a tree. He began to cry. I told him to let it out, crying was okay. I told him that it was his pain leaving his body. This heart wrenching news just tore me up inside and of course I immediately thought of my little girl. I could never imagine or fathom the idea of losing a child.

He began telling me that he hasn’t been able to work for about 2 years. He said he lost his mojo, his purpose, his success achieving mechanism. He said in order to get this back, he needs to move on, start a new life and be around people that will support him. He was suffering from a bad case of PTSD.

I shared my story with him. Not to compare mine to his but to let him know he wasn’t alone. He reached out his hand with tears coming from his eyes and shook my hand. I felt his pain coming through his hand. I told him that recovery was a process, not an event and that he had to work toward getting better, getting motivated and making his son proud by turning this tragedy into serving others who are in the same situation. It was very hard for me to tell him this because I know how hard it is to get motivated on certain days. All you want to do is stay away from everyone, tucked away in bed and not deal with the world. Seclusion is the worst thing for a PTSD sufferer. It is one of the toughest struggles you will ever experience. But you must do it for you first than for the people that care about you most.

The advice I gave him this very day to help motivate him into action and to living a fulfilling life once again was to start and end his day with reading something uplifting, motivational, inspirational. It could be a biography of someone that has overcome something similar, the bible or anything that puts you in a happy place. To keep a journal beside his bed. You must journal your thoughts. There is something powerful in journaling what is on your mind. The thought to pen to paper puts you in a place like no other. Listen to relaxing music while breathing deeply through your nose and out through your mouth slowly: meditating. The most important thing a PTSD sufferer can do is to share his or her thoughts and feelings by talking with a trusted friend, relative, spouse, partner, and/or counselor.

The worst thing one can do when suffering from this illness is to keep it bottled up inside. It’s like holding a stick of dynamite, lighting it then swallowing it.

About the Author:

I’m John R. Salkowski, Founder of AchieveSuccessAcademy.com™, Retired Cop, Survivor of PTSD stemming from a shoot and kill robbery incident. Expert on Leadership, Success, Overcoming Adversity, Fear & PTSD. Entrepreneur, Speaker, Author of 3 books; Leadership in The Line of Duty™: 50 Leadership Lessons for Making Split-Second Decisions from a Cop Who Has Been in Life and Death Situations, Leadership in The Line of Duty™: Success Thoughts and Quotes for Leaders and Best seller: Nothing But Net: Top Secrets to increase your bottom line, Health, Wealth & Success.

Copyright © 2012 Achieve Success Academy™. All Rights Reserved.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Why You Need a Mentor to Improve Your Life

April 17, 2012 Achieve Success Academy No comments

PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is becoming an epidemic amongst cops and military personnel. You see it all over the news, in the newspapers by our returning heroes. This disorder is affecting hundreds of thousands of lives across this country and we as a society need to do something about it before it becomes worse than it already is.

Too often when someone experiences the symptoms of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) they turn to different avenues of trying to overcome it. Let me give you a few examples of what I mean: Turning to self-medicating or drug abuse: whether prescription drugs, alcohol or any other illegal drug to soothe the feelings of anxiety, depression, anger, irritability and any other feelings they are experiencing. Self-medicating doesn’t help. It makes the symptoms worse which in turn leads to the person acting out. What do I mean by acting out? The self-medicating or drug abuse only enhances the feelings that one is going through. This leads to the next epidemic of PTSD sufferers. Committing suicide and often homicide. Why?

Why are Police Officers, war veterans and military personnel not seeking help from the powers to be? The command staff, human resources department, mentors. Because we are trained that asking for help is weak? We are trained to act as if we have no emotions. Nothing is supposed to bother us. Who are they kidding? This thought process makes me sick. Makes me want to vomit! The machismos, the egos in these professions need to be checked at the door. We are human beings for Christ sake. Things do bother us? When they bother us, we need to be trained to seek help and not be afraid of what people will think of us. Instead, they throw you out like a bag of trash in a dumpster. They get rid of you. It’s easier to turn your back on a problem then face it head on. This mentality is for the cowards of the world. Police Officers and Military Personnel are there to help, correct? There to serve our communities and country, correct? Then why is it that when one of us needs help, they turn their back on us?

Don’t rely on help or assistance within these organizations. Why rely on them for help when they need help more than you do. My advice to you is to seek out a mentor or a mentoring program. A person or place you can go to confide in to helping you through your road bumps or adversity. Seek out a person or program that you can trust. Use your gut instinct, listen to your inner-voice when seeking out a mentor or a mentoring program. Seek out someone who has been there and done that is now in a place where you want to be. Seek out a mentoring program that has proven results. If you’re afraid of what people may think then keep it to yourselves. It takes a man to admit we need help. It takes a man to admit that you are at your breaking point. It takes a man of courage and strength to admit this. Don’t let anyone tell you different and if they do turn around and walk away. This type of person you don’t need in your life anyway.

Trust me on this please. You are important. You matter in this world. There are people who love and care about you. For all you parents out there, do it for your kids. They need you more than anyone or anything. Do it for them.

I’m John R. Salkowski, Founder of AchieveSuccessAcademy.com™, Retired Cop, Survivor of PTSD stemming from a shoot and kill robbery incident, Expert on Leadership, Success, Overcoming Adversity, Fear & PTSD, Entrepreneur, Professional Speaker, Author of 3 books; Leadership in The Line of Duty™: 50 Leadership Lessons for Making Split-Second Decisions from a Cop Who Has Been in Life and Death Situations, Leadership in The Line of Duty™: Success Thoughts and Quotes for Leaders and Nothing But Net: Top Secrets to increase your bottom line, Health, Wealth & Success.
Copyright © 2012 Achieve Success Academy™. All Rights Reserved.
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Copyright 2012. Achieve Success Academy. All Rights Reserved

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: Why You Need A Mentor

December 8, 2011 Achieve Success Academy 2 comments

PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is becoming an epidemic amongst cops and military personnel. You see it all over the news, in the newspapers by our returning heroes. This disorder is affecting hundreds of thousands of lives across this country and we as a society need to do something about it before it becomes worse than it already is.

To often when someone experiences the symptoms of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) they turn to different avenues of trying to overcome it. Let me give you a few examples of what I mean: Turning to self medicating or drug abuse: whether prescription drugs, alcohol or any other illegal drug to soothe the feelings of anxiety, depression, anger, irritability and any other feelings they are experiencing. Self medicating doesn’t help. It makes the symptoms worse which in turn leads to the person acting out. What do I mean by acting out? The self medicating or drug abuse only enhances the feelings that one is going through. This leads to the next epidemic of PTSD sufferers. Committing suicide and often homicide. Why?

Why are Police Officers, war veterans and military personnel not seeking help from the powers to be? The command staff, human resources department, mentors. Because we are trained that asking for help is weak? We are trained to act as if we have no emotions. Nothing is supposed to bother us. Who are they kidding? This thought process makes me sick. Makes me want to vomit! The machoisms, the egos in these professions need to be checked at the door. We are human beings for christ sake. Things do bother us? When they bother us, we need to be trained to seek help and not be afraid of what people will think of us. Instead, they throw you out like a bag of trash in a dumpster. They get rid of you. It’s easier to turn your back on a problem then face it head on. This mentality is for the cowards of the world. Police Officers and Military Personnel are their to help, correct? There to serve our communities and country, correct? Then why is it that when one of us needs help, they turn their back on us?

Don’t rely on help or assistance within these organizations. Why rely on them for help when they need help more than you do. My advice to you is to seek out a mentor or a mentoring program. A person or place you can go to confide in to helping you through your road bumps or adversity. Seek out a person or program that you can trust. Use your gut instinct, listen to your inner-voice when seeking out a mentor or a mentoring program. Seek out someone who has been there and done that is now in a place where you want to be. Seek out a mentoring program that has proven results. If you’re afraid of what people may think then keep it to yourselves. It takes a man to admit we need help. It takes a man to admit that you are at your breaking point. It takes a man of courage and strength to admit this. Don’t let anyone tell you different and if they do turn around and walk away. This type of person you don’t need in your life anyway.

Trust me on this please. You are important. You matter in this world. There are people who love and care about you. For all you parents out there, do it for your kids. They need you more than anyone or anything. Do it for them.

I’m John R. Salkowski, Founder of Achieve Success Academy and survivor of PTSD, Businessman, Speaker and Self Made Man. If I can overcome PTSD and achieve the success I have accomplished so can you. Believe in yourself because no one else will.

Please leave your comments below and let’s start making a difference in this world by helping our Hero’s live happy, healthy, successful lives.

PTSD: Overcoming Tragic Events or Thoughts to a Fulfilling Successful Life

November 13, 2011 Achieve Success Academy No comments

The more and more I learn about our returning Troops, the more and more I resonate with how they’re feeling. They are coming home from the battlefield, the front line if you will, where they confront, see and hear tragedy day in and day out. Witnessing their fellow comrads being maimed or killed. Witnessing death and destruction as if it were just part of normal life.

They are immediately rushed back into society or the normal life as we call it. How are they suppose to transition from a KILL zone to the supposely NORMAL zone? Are they being properly prepared for their arrival back home? Is their brain being re-wired/re-trained for the normal world? Is there protocol on re-inventing these young men and woman so they can enter society as a civilian?

The latest article I read was about a tragic murder of a 19 year old Southern California girl by one of our Troops. In the article it said, ” I was trained to kill. I come home. I can’t adjust to regular civilian lifestyle.” “I spun out of control. I needed help.”  Unfortunately with the way I was trained, you know to react to threats is to neutralize threats. …Even with someone I love.”

The tragedy of it all is that not only did an innocent yound woman lose her life, a young man lost his as well.

Why isn’t PTSD on the dashboard of the minds of the men and women in charge of our returning troops? Why isn’t there more of an impactful debriefing process? This MUST change! If it doesn’t, we are going to hear more tragic stories of suicides and homicides by our protectors, our heros.

In my estimation, I would venture to guess that the suffers of PTSD are soothing their emotions by drugs and alcohol as opposed to other more positive outlets.

My mission is to change this. Suffering PTSD myself, undiagnosed and diagnosed for more than 10yrs, I too experienced the horrible thoughts, nightmares, anger, depression, anxiety, heightened alertness, physical and emotional torment that our HEROS are experiencing today.

It was a battle everyday to stay on course. However, I refused to allow this to take hold of me. To allow this to destroy my life. To allow me from achieving the great things that this world so desperately needs.

I took it upon myself to re-wire/re-train my brain to block out the the negative thoughts and everything else I was experiencing. There are so many things that I have done to overcome PTSD but what we are experiencing with our returning troops is an epidemic. This MUST change and if I have anything to do with it, it WILL!

Suffering PTSD: The challenges I faced

September 25, 2011 Achieve Success Academy No comments

When I was going through my internal torment with PTSD I felt that the outer world was just plain cruel. It seemed to me that no one cared about anyone or anything but themselves. I realized that we live in one egotistical & self centered world. Everyone was out for themselves. If it didn’t involve or affect them they didn’t care. They turned a blind eye to it. I was calling out for help in so many different ways now that I look back on it and no one was there for me. You sure can tell who your true friends are when you need someone the most. I was suffering PSTD for christ sake. They thought, “he’s faking it”. Everyone turned their back on me. They never returned my calls or emails. They acted as if I no longer existed. Why? I ask this over and over again in my mind. It made me crazy angry knowing that I had to face this battle alone. It made me bitter, resentful to a point where I hated everyone including cops. I was a cop. I hated myself for choosing this career. Then I ask myself why did I choose this career path. The only answer that would come to my mind over and over again was because I cared about people. I wanted to make a difference in someones life. I wanted to make a difference. Period! I than discovered that 95% of the cops I worked with didn’t feel the same way. It was an ego trip for them to carry around that badge and gun. They were macho. They felt like the shit. 95% of cops in my opinion during this difficult time were insecure human beings.