Dealing with PTSD flashbacks and nightmares

Yes, anniversaries can absolutely trigger memories. The body and mind remember things in that kind of way. My trauma often happened during school breaks when I was a child. Now that I am a fully grown adult, mid spring, Chistmastime, mid fall, and summer are big trigger times for me. Lots of nightmares and flashbacks. Just know that you will get through this. You have come this far and you will continue on stronger than before.

Firstly, I think it’s wonderful that you have insight into how the anniversary of your trust impacts your PTSD. I’m really sorry you’re going through more intense memories/symptoms. I like to keep a journal where I can write down reminders of how I am currently safe & currently not being traumatized. Maybe I’ll write that I took a warm bath or that I had dinner with a friend. Those are moments I knew I was safe. Anniversaries can absolutely bring up so much but reminding yourself that you’re currently safe can be essential to not feeling constantly retraumatized. Sending you peace 💛

anniversaries can bring up a lot of uncomfortable things like nightmares and flashbacks for me. we store away a lot of trauma to allow us to be more functional, but the body seems to know when anniversaries come up and bring things back unfortunately. for me, trying to prepare my space for these moments with comforting things ahead of time helps to cope with things a lot, and with time, things fade away and the severity changes. i hope youre doing okay and that this was at least a little helpful!