An Open Letter to Anyone Struggling with PTSD

Hello stranger,

I just want to let you know that you are not alone, okay? What we are going through right now, all the pain, the anger, the flashbacks, all the hurt you feel, they are all valid. And because I know trauma personally and intimately, I would never wish it upon anyone else. But I hate the feeling of being misunderstood. I think most of us do.

We look fine, to most people at least⁠⁠—maybe even a little awkward at times—but after many days, weeks, months, years even, of hard inner work, we will be fine. We will feel like ourselves again. We will feel as though we have been intact—stitched back together all over again, and whole.

The ache will go away gradually, and eventually it leaves. But it doesn’t happen overnight. The healing process takes time, like how a planted seed transforms into a beautiful, budding flower in the garden. Or like a caterpillar hides in a cocoon, and then turns into a colorful butterfly.

You just have to remember that it all takes time. Everything will be okay. Everyone has different levels of pain, and different levels of understanding. But the people who do will help you out of the darkness you’ve been encompassed in.

Don’t be afraid to reach out to someone when it gets too much. I think we all need a little TLC. Just like how that budding flower in the garden. They need water and sunlight. In our case, we need love, understanding, and everything in between. If you, or someone you know is suffering PTSD, let them know that they are loved.

Because one thing I know for sure is that we need it.