Page 317 - Total War on PTSD

management positions, but continued to struggle internally. Through the struggles I was on a path to getting the help I needed. I became more involved in my local Veteran community and even married a man that continues to serve in the Army Reserve. Bit by bit I was able to share my story but it felt overwhelming emotionally, and even physically. Shame still ruled my life.
I was able to confront the fears, shame, and all the other issues PTSD brought when I had a miscarriage in 2014. The grief of this loss combined with the PTSD and the grieving I needed to do to recover felt overwhelming. Instead of being angry and emotional only sometimes, I spiraled into depression and anxiety. Panic attacks were a common part of my life. I was desperate. I talked to my local County Veteran Service Officer and he encouraged me to, at the very least, contact the counselors at the Vet Center in my area. This is where my counseling, and more importantly, my healing began.
Over the years, the things that helped me to manage my PTSD in the healthiest ways have been counseling (including Cognitive Processing Therapy), and exercise, and especially Pilates. Exercise in general, as I am sure you know, can help with depression and anxiety symptoms. There are many research studies to prove this, along with my own story to apply the benefit to mental health. It is not a magic pill, and I do not claim it will solve all mental health issues. But it certainly does help manage symptoms and can be a tool in your toolkit to help ease the pain you are feeling. Researchers have been studying the link between mental well-being and exercise for decades. There are a mountain of studies that have been performed on every demographic imaginable, and they all agree that exercise helps. Some of these reasons include, according to Kelsey Graham (2017):
•Increased Neurotransmitter activity
•Improved self-esteem (which is commonly low in those who suffer from depression) •Release of stored energy, which can alleviate anxiety
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