Category: Self Improvement / Healthy Living

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I Will Never Accept Defeat. I Will Never Quit: Love and War

Michael Anthony

i will never accept defeat i will never quitThinking of the Army code, “I will never accept defeat.  I will never quit.” brings to mind the famous story of the Battle of the Bulge, fought in World War Two.  American forces were defending the town of Bastogne, Belgium, and found themselves suddenly surrounded by a vastly superior force of Germans. The Americans were cut off from food, ammunition and replacements.

For many days, they held off the onslaught of the German hordes, until on December 22, 1944, a German party, under a flag of truce, delivered a long letter to the American commander, General Anthony McAuliffe. The letter boasted of the strength of the German Forces that trapped him in the city.

“To the U.S.A. Commander of the encircled town of Bastogne.

The fortune of war is changing. This time the U.S.A. forces in and near Bastogne have been encircled by strong German armored units. More German armored units have crossed the river Our near Ortheuville, have taken Marche and reached St. Hubert by passing through Hompre-Sibret-Tillet. Libramont is in German hands.

There is only one possibility to save the encircled U.S.A. troops from total annihilation: that is the honorable surrender of the encircled town.”

It went on to threaten even greater military action that would annihilate the US troops. The American commander would be given two hours to consider the terms of surrender, then one German Artillery Corps and six heavy A.A. Battalions would begin firing on the U.S. position.

The situation was hopeless and General McAuliffe had no doubt what he must do. It didn’t take him two hours to draft his reply to the German commander. He dictated the letter to his typist and his aide delivered it promptly to the German party. The Germans were baffled when they unfolded the letter and saw only one single word written there: “NUTS!”  General McAuliffe was never a man to swear, and his reply was another way for him to say “Go To hell!”  That one word summed up the Army code that General McAuliffe had learned as a young man at West Point; it was his way of saying, “I will never accept defeat. I will never quit.”  He wasn’t jut about to surrender his troops to the German army, no matter how vastly greater or superior they claimed to be.  This is why every American soldier memorizes these words, and it’s what turns them into a member of the toughest, most dedicated fighting force in the world—and it’s why General McAuliffe and his troops were able to hold the town until they were finally reinforced by the 4th Armored Division on December 26th.

It is because of this code that young men and women have carried on in difficult, frightening battles in Iraq and Afghanistan. But what about after the battles are over and these heroes put military life behind them? Can they use these words as a philosophy to guide them through the challenges of the rest of their lives?

How many people give up too easily on the most important things in life – love, wealth, health? How many relationships have failed because people find the compromise and dedication it takes to keep a marriage going is too hard? How can love survive if people give up too easily when things get rough? A soldier, or anyone who remembers the Army code and follows it, can work out the toughest marital problems.

When a former-soldier enters the business world, the code that he took to heart will carry him through when things start looking hopeless. The determination to never surrender doesn’t mean that the person needs to succumb to stubborn stupidity. If one thing isn’t working, a smart businessman will try something else, even if it means going back to school to learn a new trade. The important thing for him to remember is to never give up – never stop trying.

The same thing applies when it comes to his health. As the years roll by, it becomes harder and harder to keep in shape. The muscles of even the strongest athlete will wither, but the important thing is to keep the grit and have the guts to keep going. Changing life habits – dieting, smoking, drinking, drug abuse – all of them are hard but a soldier is trained to call on a team if he needs to and a soldier is trained to never quit trying.

No one is ever guaranteed success if he keeps trying, but everyone is guaranteed failure if he gives up. All of life is a struggle, and it’s meant to be. The soldier who carries the code “I will never accept defeat.  I will never quit.” with him throughout his life will find the strength to face all obstacles, big or small.

To learn more about the military war-time experience check out the following book:

Related Posts:

What the Military Teaches About Self-Discipline

Military Time Management: CARVER

Target VS Mission: Smaller Goals VS Larger Goals

 

 

 

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Target VS Mission: Smaller Goals VS Larger Goals

Michael Anthony

In the military we’re trained to accomplish missions, and in order to accomplish mission—large scale ones—often, the military will set up smaller targets to accomplish that will eventually lead to the accomplishment of the primary mission.

This can be useful as a way of looking at goals.  If a person has a larger goal, in order to reach that goal, they have a lot of little goals that they, most likely, have to accomplish first.  This is the same as the military strategy of mission and targets.  To accomplish a larger goal, a person needs to know exactly what it is.   What’s the mission?  What is trying to be accomplished?  A new job? More money?  Better health?  You need to know what the mission is.  A soldier always knows what his mission is—and if he doesn’t know, someone screwed up along the chain of command.

Once the larger mission is established, we need to establish a series of targets that we need to get, take down, achieve, destroy, etc; in order for us to achieve our mission.  There may be as many as ten, twenty or thirty targets, or as few as five, three, or even just one.

Make a list of all possible targets that you’ll need to accomplish in order to achieve your goal.  Let’s say that you want to lose thirty pounds.  In order to complete your mission, you’ll need to accomplish certain targets, some examples might be: Get a gym membership, buy some weights, throw out all the junk food in the house, start that first day, keep it up for a week, lose that first five pounds, get a personal trainer, eat healthier, run everyday, etc.  These are all targets that, once accomplished, can help lead you towards achievement of your ultimate mission.

Now, once you have all your targets picked out, you’ll need to refer back to the post I did on the CARVER system—basically, the CARVER system is a military system about figuring out which target to accomplish first, second, third, etc.

Once you know what your first target is, all you have to do is accomplish that one certain thing.  You don’t have to loose thirty pounds, all you’ve go to do is achieve every target and the mission will complete itself.

Let’s say that you go through the CARVER system and you discover that the most important target for you to get first is to throw out all the junk food in the house.  All you’ve then got to do is throw out all the junk food in the house, and you’ve already got one target achieved.  Then go on to the next one, and the next one, etc.

This is pretty much the goal achievement method of the military.  It’s what we use in the hospital, it’s what the infantry guys use, it’s what the Special Forces guys use, everyone uses it.  Whether you’re trying to capture an enemy combatant or just accomplish a personal goal, this is the best way to do it.

Primary Mission VS Secondary Mission

One thing that comes up during missions, and when figuring out what your targets are, is the discovery of secondary targets, or secondary missions.  Keeping with the above example, let’s say that you mission is to lose thirty pounds, but let’s say that your secondary mission is to have a toned stomach.  (Another example would be, say you’re hunting the leader of a terrorist force, the primary objective would be to kill the leader, and the secondary objective would be to kill his second in command, etc.)

Your secondary mission is going to effect how you select and accomplish your targets.  Let’s say that one of your targets is to go to the gym and work out an hour a day.  Going to the gym and working out works on your primary target, but if not done appropriately it won’t help out with your secondary target.  So at the gym, a way to set yourself towards success in both would be to, when working out at the gym, do a series of exercises that focus on calorie burn and focus on building stronger abdominal muscles.

Conclusion:

1)   Write down what your primary mission is.

2)   Select a series of targets that need to be reached in order to accomplish your mission.

3)   Use the CARVER system to see which targets are of the most importance.

4)   Decided if there’s a secondary mission.

5)   Figure out what primary targets correspond with secondary targets that would help with the accomplishment of the secondary mission.

6)   Use the CARVER system again.

7)   Accomplish the first target.

8)   Second Target

9)   Third Target

Mission Accomplished!

Looking for a good book on military targets and goals? Then check out the book “Unleash the Warrior Within,” by Richard Machowitz. It’s one of my favorites!


Related Posts:

The CARVER system Part 1

The CARVER system Part 2

I Will Never Accept Defeat.  I Will Never Quit.

What the Military Teaches About Self-Discipline

Best Of, Self Improvement / Healthy Living, Self Improvement / Healthy Living

PTSD: How to Prevent PTSD

Michael Anthony

Post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD is a dangerous and debilitating mental condition caused by one’s exposure to traumatizing near-death experiences or seeing someone else’s. Aside from living a monastic or hermit lifestyle to avoid traumatizing experiences, there are other ways to prevent PTSD.

  • Resilience – One way to prevent PTSD is to develop one’s resilience preferably early from childhood. Some people do not get PTSD because of resilience factors. This can be a difficult task for parents to build strong character in their children but people with strong character have are resilient against PTSD.
  • Speaking – After experiencing something tragic or traumatizing, its best to contact friends and loved ones to discuss the event. This alleviates fears as well as strengthens one’s sense of security. This can sometimes lessen the impact of the traumatizing experience.
  • Be one step ahead – If the person experiences a traumatic experience yet has not exhibited PTSD symptoms, its best to consult a psychologist immediately. PTSD symptoms often manifest after thirty days. Military personnel exposed to combat often undergo counseling after missions.
  • Chemical treatment – there is a study that doses of morphine during combat missions for troops can prevent PTSD. This works on the theory that natural or chemically-induced levity reduces an event or a situation’s traumatizing effects.

PTSD Treatment Options: mentalhealthtreatment.net/ptsd

Check out some of our other posts on PTSD.

What To Do When Your Child Has PTSD.

What To Do When Your Spouse Has PTSD.

What To Do To Prevent PTSD.

 

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PTSD: What to do when Your Child has PTSD

Michael Anthony

Adults can have immense problems dealing with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) whether the adult his/herself is experiencing it or those around him/her. You could only imagine how children with PTSD are dealing with it. Post traumatic stress disorder can be very hard on both parents and children. It’s not enough that children go through a traumatizing event or events that lead to PTSD but to experience the fear and the hurt every time their mind goes out of focus is difficult to accept.

There are times when children keep these experiences to themselves and end up with PTSD with parents not knowing or parents may not realize the gravity of the situation. Here are some signs that the child has post traumatic stress disorder:

  • Has a frequent recollection of the traumatizing event whether the child is awake and asleep in the form of nightmares.
  • The child displays erratic behavior when something triggers a recollection.
  • The child loses interest in play or other activities.
  • Sleeping problems
  • Alternate bouts of depression and mood swings
  • Problems with concentration
  • Increased alertness or awareness

No child should have to deal with such a set of symptoms that can drive an adult insane. The following are some of what parents should do to heal the child’s mind and should go about doing it immediately.

  • Seek the help of a professional child psychologist to solve the PTSD. They will be able to seek out the source if it’s unknown, provide medication that can ease the symptoms and recommend an effective cognitive therapy to keep the child’s learning process going.
  • Always be available or let the child know you will always be there. This should alleviate their fears in going to bed and lessen the effects of nightmares.
  • Maintain the child’s pre-PTSD daily routine. This will keep a sense of order and normalcy.
  • Keep potentially dangerous objects accessible only to you so the child cannot hurt his/herself.

 Check out some of our other posts on PTSD.

What To Do When Your Child Has PTSD.

What To Do When Your Spouse Has PTSD.

What To Do To Prevent PTSD.

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PTSD: What to Do When Your Spouse has PTSD

Michael Anthony

Post traumatic stress disorder or PTSD is a difficult and often dangerous mental condition for patients and those around them, the immediate family, the children and especially the spouse. PTSD happens when someone comes back from a truly horrible, violent or near-death experience. Something in the brain snaps; gets rewired and the person with PTSD has no choice but to relive those traumatizing moments physically, mentally and emotionally.

When undiagnosed or untreated, what happens later is an endless stream of coping or adapting to the partner’s bouts of depression and feelings of weakness or uselessness by continuously comforting the partner; of staying up late when the partner experiences horrible nightmares or night terrors related to the experience or even during the day; of being wary for sudden mood swings that sometimes become violent; and of juggling everyday activities like work and chores amidst the demands for attention.

PTSD is a mental condition that needs to be treated and it will simply not go away by hugs and kisses and promises that ‘everything is all right’. Here are some things that need to be done if you have a spouse with PTSD.

Seek professional help – Even though the prospect is hard to accept, your spouse needs professional help and later even you. As a mental condition, professional psychologists can help heal your partner’s troubled psyche and also prescribe the appropriate medication to ease the symptoms.

Set up a security plan – PTSD can be dangerous especially when your spouse experiences vivid waking nightmares or flashbacks. Your spouse can be dangerous to his/herself and everyone around him/her because your partner might be reliving an experience and might not be able to differentiate what’s real. Set up things like having a wireless phone anywhere in the house in case you need help, keep dangerous objects like knives and guns in places easily accessible only to you and practice a quick exit.

Civilianized: A Young Veteran’s Memoir

In this dark humored War Memoir, Iraq veteran Michael Anthony discusses his return from war and how he defeated his PTSD. Civilianized is a must read for any veteran, or anyone who knows a veteran, who has returned from war and suffered through Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

dark humored military memoir“An intense memoir.” -Kirkus

“I wont soon forget this book.” -Mary Roach

“A must read.” -Colby Buzzell

“[S]mart and mordantly funny.” –Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“Anthony delivers a dose of reality that can awaken the mind…” Bookreporter

Order your copy of Civilianized: A Young Veteran’s Memoir .

Check out some of our other posts on PTSD.

Main Updated Article: Best Ways to Treat PTSD for You or Your Spouse.

What To Do When Your Child Has PTSD.

What To Do When Your Spouse Has PTSD.

What To Do To Prevent PTSD.

Is PTSD genetic?

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The CARVER System For Goals – Part 2

Michael Anthony

Since my latest blog post about military time management, a lot of people have sent emails asking for a longer description of the military’s CARVER system.  So I decided to elaborate.

As stated in my previous post, the military’s system of time management is broken up into the CARVER system.

  • Criticality –the importance of a task.
  • Accessibility –is it easy to reach? Are the resources needed to do it readily available?
  • Return – What is the return?
  • Vulnerability –How long will it take?
  • Effect – Once the task is done, what will be the overall effect? This is slightly different than return. Will it have a bigger impact on the organization or the well-being of the individual?
  • Recognizability – finally, is the task clear and concise? No task can be done quickly and effectively with incomplete information.

Take your goals and rate them within the CARVER system.  Ex:  Say that you want to loose 20lbs, and you want to learn to speak French.  In the CARVER system, you would take the goals and start off by rating it within the Criticality category.  Let’s say that someone is more concerned with losing weight then learning French.  Losing weight may bet a rating of 4 and learning French may only get a rating of 2.  Then someone would rate their goals within the Accessibility category.  How easy is the goal to reach?  To lose 20lbs a person would have to buy new healthy food, they’ll have to get a gym membership or some type of weights.   To learn French a person may only need to purchase a few CD’s or a book.  The person would then continue within the rest of the categories and see where each goal rates.

(The higher score the better.)

Lose 20lbs Learn

French

 Learn How to Cook Clean The

House
Criticality 4 2 4 3
Accessibility 2 4 3 5
Return 5 1 3 3
Vulnerability 2 1 3 5
Effect 5 2 4 2
Recognizability 4 3 3 3
Total: 22 13 20 21

So based on CARVER a person who has the above goals, should put their focus on losing 20lbs – that’s the most important goal with the highest reward; the next goal to be focuses on, or to be focused on simultaneously, would be cleaning the House – since it can be done quickest and easiest with the highest return.

The best thing about the system is that it allows you to objectively look at your goals and see which are the most important – compared to which are the easiest – compared to which produce the highest return.
Related Posts:

Part 1 of the CARVER system

Smaller Goals VS Larger Goals

What the Military Teaches About Self-Discipline

I Will Never Accept Defeat.  I Will Never Quit.

Best Of, Self Improvement / Healthy Living, Self Improvement / Healthy Living

Brian Tracy Interview- Intensity, Purpose and Communication: Part 3/3

Michael Anthony

Brian Tracy is one of America’s leading authorities on the development of human potential and personal effectiveness. A dynamic and inspiring speaker, he addresses thousands of people each year on the subjects of personal and professional development, including the executives and staff of such firms as IBM, Arthur Andersen, McDonnell Douglas, and The Million Dollar Round Table. Prior to founding his own firm, Brian Tracy International, he had successful careers in sales and marketing, investments, real estate development, distribution, and management consulting. Tracy is the author of over forty books including the bestselling book Maximum Achievement.

7) Question: How can I repeat the high level of activity and business in the military in my civilian life?

Answer: “The key to time management and high productivity is for you to set a schedule for yourself and then discipline yourself to keep to that schedule.”

Each evening, make a list of everything you have to do the following day. Organize the list by priority. Ask yourself, “If I could only complete one task on this list before I was called out of town for a month, which one task would it be?”

Whatever you have decided is the most important thing you can accomplish, begin on that one task immediately that you start work. Don’t waste time chatting with coworkers, drinking coffee, playing with the computer or reading the newspaper. Plunge into your work immediately and concentrate on finishing one important task as quickly as you can.

Practice single-handling. Military people have the ability to focus and concentrate on one thing at a time. This is still the most important single quality for success in any area of life, and you already know how to do it at a high level. Your job now is to repeat this focus and concentration on your major tasks every single day. This alone will motivate you into action and keep you motivated to work busily all day long.

(8) Question: What advice do you have for returning veterans who miss the intensity, purpose and focus of war but who now want to find something new and positive to be focused on?

Answer: Perhaps the most important thing that you can do for your future is to learn and practice setting goals and working on them every day.

Decide exactly what you want in each area of your life, and write it down. Set a deadline for the accomplishment of your most important goals.

Make a list of everything that you can think of that you could do to achieve an important goal. Begin work on that list immediately, and keep working on it day after day.

As you feel yourself moving progressively, step-by-step, toward a goal of your choice, you will feel more energized, purposeful, and focused than if you were just going from day to day with no clear direction.

9) Question: For service people who can only have brief, fleeting conversations with family and friends back home, how can they quickly and most effectively communicate with their loved ones?

Answer: The most important thing about communication is that it be regular, positive and loving. Never criticize, complain or condemn in your brief correspondence via email with the members of your family and your friends.

Always be honest, but be positive and cheerful as well. The people who care about you are more worried about your health, wellbeing and survival than anything else. Regularly tell them how well you are doing and how good you feel.

When they share their problems with you, be sympathetic and supportive. Offer advice and suggestions. Take an interest in your family and friends back home and make it clear that you care about them, even though you are far apart.

In closing let me say that I feel that you are some of the most important people in America. What you have done, and are doing, to support and defend our way of life is of far greater value than any of the business people or politicians going through their day to day work.

As veterans, you are men and women of courage, confidence and character. You have laid your life on the line to defend our way of life. You are some of the most important and respected people in our society.

The good news is that, of all the institutions in society, the military and the men and women within the military are the most respected. You are more respected than Congress, the Senate, school teachers, doctors, lawyers, architects, engineers and rich people. Military people are more esteemed than anyone else, and they should be.

Check Out the Entire Interview

Part one: Click Here

Part two: Click Here

Part three: Click Here

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Brian Tracy Interview – Become a Better Communicator, Use Military Strategies for Success and Become a Better Leader: Part 2/3

Michael Anthony

Brian Tracy is one of America’s leading authorities on the development of human potential and personal effectiveness. A dynamic and inspiring speaker, he addresses thousands of people each year on the subjects of personal and professional development, including the executives and staff of such firms as IBM, Arthur Andersen, McDonnell Douglas, and The Million Dollar Round Table. Prior to founding his own firm, Brian Tracy International, he had successful careers in sales and marketing, investments, real estate development, distribution, and management consulting. Tracy is the author of over forty books including the bestselling book Maximum Achievement.

4) Question: Veterans overseas often have to turn off parts of themselves, specifically emotional parts. How can someone recharge or re-engage parts of themselves and their brain that they haven’t used in a long time?

Answer: Perhaps the greatest discovery in human history is that, “You become what you think about – most of the time.”

Your brain adjusts quickly to the stresses and demands of a new situation, especially in a combat situation overseas. It shuts down parts of your thoughts and emotions that might make you ineffective or distract you from the work at hand. This is normal and natural, and is a survival mechanism that is designed for your benefit.

When you return, you still become what you think about most of the time. Now, however, it is time to think of other things. Just as if you change your physical diet, you will feel differently, when you change your mental diet, you will feel differently as well.

When you return, you can begin the reprogramming of your mind in a positive way by reading positive books, listening to positive audio programs, associating with positive people, and even watching comedies and action programs on television that stimulate your mind and begin changing your thinking in a positive way.

Fully 95% of what you do, say, think or feel is the result of habit. Good habits are hard to form but easy to live with. Bad habits are easy to form but hard to live with. The good news is that you can develop new, positive, healthy habits of thought and feeling by repeating the words, pictures and actions consistent with your new habit over and over again until they lock in.

Remember, the one thing in the world that you can control is your own thinking. And if you keep your thoughts on positive things; your goals, your relationships, your health, and your future, you eventually develop a whole new set of mental connections that keep your positive most of the time. Just remember to be patient with yourself at the beginning.

5) Question: In your book Victory, you talk about how to apply the proven principles of military strategy to achieve greater success in your personal and business life. How can veterans turn their experiences with military strategy and battle plans into personal and business plans?

Answer: My book, Victory, is a good piece of writing, filled with practical ideas that veterans can relate to immediately. Each returning veteran should read this book from cover to cover. To that end, anyone who comes to my website at www.briantracy.com/victory as a result of reading this article can download this eBook at no charge, as a gift from me to you, and in appreciation of your service.

When you get the book, read one chapter per day and take notes. Think about how you can apply these ideas to your current life.

6) Question: After some of the stories about leadership in the military, what advice would you give someone in a leadership position?

Answer: Many veterans have had many experiences in leadership already. They now need to learn to use those experiences and knowledge in leadership positions in the private sector.

I would suggest that each person reading this acquire my book, “How the Best Leaders Lead.” and read it from cover to cover. It will show you exactly how you can translate what you have learned in the military into getting valuable results for which companies will pay in the private sector.

Check Out the Entire Interview

Part one: Click Here

Part two: Click Here

Part three: Click Here

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Brian Tracy Interview- How Veterans Can be More Successful and How to Deal with PTSD: Part 1/3

Michael Anthony

Brian Tracy is one of America’s leading authorities on the development of human potential and personal effectiveness. A dynamic and inspiring speaker, he addresses thousands of people each year on the subjects of personal and professional development, including the executives and staff of such firms as IBM, Arthur Andersen, McDonnell Douglas, and The Million Dollar Round Table. Prior to founding his own firm, Brian Tracy International, he had successful careers in sales and marketing, investments, real estate development, distribution, and management consulting. Tracy is the author of over forty books including the bestselling book Maximum Achievement.

1) Question: How should veterans ease or jump back into life?

Answer: First, give yourself a certain amount of time, between two and four weeks, to rest, recreate, decompress and generally settle back into civilian life. It is normal and natural to need a time to transition from an ordered military life into a completely free civilian lifestyle.

Second, accept that you are 100% responsible for who you are, what you do and everything you accomplish. It is up to you to begin making the decisions that will lead to a happy, healthy and fulfilled life in the months and years ahead;

Three: Take out a piece of paper and write down ten goals that you would like to accomplish in the coming year. Go over that list and ask yourself, “If I could only achieve one goal on this list, which one goal would have the greatest positive impact on my life?”

Four: Take a clean sheet of paper and make a list of everything that you could do, starting immediately, to make that one major goal a reality. Think on paper. The more action steps that you write down, the more focused you will be, and the more motivated to take action.

Five: Take action immediately. Do something. Do anything. Get up and get going. Resist the temptation to sleep in, watch television and take it easy. Remind yourself that, “Today is the first day of the rest of my life.”

2) Question: After they have jumped back in, what are the immediate steps that they should take toward success?

Answer: First, set a goal to get a job as quickly as you can. You may not be able to get the job that you want right away, but take any job that you think you might enjoy doing, and get started.

Set a goal to become excellent at what you do. Treat your job as if you were going to be doing that job for the next ten years. Decide to be in the top 10% of people at whatever you have decided to do.

Develop a learning plan for yourself. Begin reading, listening to audio programs, and attending seminars that will help you to be better and more productive in your work. Each time you learn and apply something new, you get a positive jolt of self-control, self-confidence and personal power.

Expect to be disappointed. Expect to fail occasionally. Life is a process of “two steps forward and one step back.” Nothing is easy, not for anyone. The most important quality you have as the result of your experience is your ability to bounce back from disappointment. It is your resilience. It is your ability to respond effectively to whatever happens to you without letting it get you down.

The most important thing is to take continuous action toward your goals. The busier you become the more positive you will feel, and the more in control of your life you will be.

3) Question: Many returning veterans suffer from some form of PTSD, depression, or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). How can a person go about reframing their thinking and beliefs and dealing with these symptoms?

Answer: Overseas deployment in a combat zone can be quite traumatic. It you feel negative or depressed for any reason, it is absolutely essential that you get immediate medical attention for your symptoms.

The medical specialists available to veterans today are some of the best in the world. They have enormous experience in dealing with returning service people. They can often pinpoint with great accuracy any problem or difficulty you have, and quickly suggest a solution or a treatment of some kind. Don’t try to figure it out by yourself.

Perhaps one of the most important things that you can do is to talk it out with other people. Sometimes, the release that you get from openly and honestly sharing your thoughts and feelings, and even your fears, will act as a great source of relief and peace. Don’t keep your feelings bottled up inside of you.

Check Out the Entire Interview

Part one: Click Here

Part two: Click Here

Part three: Click Here

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How Yoga Can Help Soldiers with PTSD: Part 3/3

Michael Anthony

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a serious condition that affects individuals who have experienced some sort of serious trauma. It can develop soon after the individual has experienced it or months after the fact. Many individuals will notice that their symptoms subside after about three months. However, not everyone will. Those who do not experience any relief after this amount of time may end up being diagnosed with long term Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which can last for many years. There are various forms of treatment available to those with PTSD. One that is gaining notoriety is yoga. Below, we will discuss how the popular exercise can help soldiers with this particular anxiety disorder.

Yoga is an effective way to decrease both mental and physical stress, hallmark symptoms of PTSD. The use of meditation, relaxation, breathing and stretching works to ease the mind and the body. It also helps soldiers deal with traumatic memories which tend to haunt the sufferers of post traumatic stress disorder.

Yoga is lauded for its ability to help soldiers develop techniques that will help them relax when they begin to feel a great deal of stress. This can come in handy when a soldier starts to experience flashbacks and stressful emotions. It is believed to be effective, in part, because the practice is grounded in principles very similar to therapy. The mind-body connection that yoga emphasizes is especially beneficial to soldiers suffering from this condition.

When the body suddenly comes under stress, the flight-or-flight mechanism is triggered. A person will either run or stick around and fight. When an individual has been traumatized, their flight-or-flight switch may become stuck. A person will subsequently, continually feel stressed physically, mentally and emotionally. They will always feel like they are under attack or in danger. This can be quite distressful and damaging overtime. Yoga is one method that has proven to help regulate the automatic nervous system so that it is once again normalized.

Yoga has proven to be such a powerful weapon in the fight against Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, that the army has adopted it as a formalized way to treat it. Walter Reed Army Medical Center has been using yoga to treat its soldiers since 2006. They offer it because it works and is a safe and gentle approach to treatment and care.

While yoga as a treatment option for PTSD won’t work for everyone, it can be very effective for many individuals. Those interested in giving it a try, can do so by purchasing a yoga program or taking classes.

Check out parts one and two of the series.

Part 1: What is Yoga

Part 2: How to Incorporate Yoga into Your Daily Life

Part 3: How Yoga Can Help Soldiers with PTSD