10 Signs You Could Be Living With Complex PTSD …….and Not Know It

1. You’re a workaholic

You tend to choose jobs deliberately, that are impossible to do, manic / or highly stressful. You may find that you are bored if you are not in highly stressful situations. Don’t know how to relax even during evenings, weekends and holidays.

2. You’re a perfectionist

and you:

• self-sabotage, when you think things are not to scratch,
• have imposter syndrome.
• You feel that no matter how much you do, how much you learn, how many qualifications you have it’s never good enough
• rather not do something if you think it won’t be perfect

3. You are a people pleaser

and you

• You care for everyone else to your detriment, but this feels good for you
• Often let others getaway (including your own children) with poor behaviour
• Spoilt your children and now they mistreat you
• feel secretly angry when people don’t reciprocate the kindness you have shown them
• feel treated like a doormat and you are sick of it.
• get so upset and anxious when you feel that you have hurt someone
• feel that your self-care is caring for everyone else

4. You comfort eat or drink too much

as

• alcohol or food can squash difficult emotions
• It helps you detach
• alcohol is a problem for you and the other people in your life
• you drink to feel confident in social situations
• it is the only way to help you feel relaxed
• no one knows the full extent of your habits because you hide it and you feel so ashamed of it
• you tend to binge drink ie you drink excessively more at the weekends or at certain times of the month or year

5. Certain people trigger you

• don’t know what it is about certain people but they bring out the worst in you
• just feel really uncomfortable around certain people and you don’t know why
• feel really anxious when you are mistreated by one type of person more than another type i.e. you may feel more anxious or angry if say a tall, thin white man or woman in
• leadership positions mistreat you as opposed to any other people
• “freeze” when certain people speak to you in a particular way.

6. You find it really difficult to fit in with others as you

• feel that others don’t like you or that you don’t like them
• worry that others are talking about you constantly and taking the Mick.
• have social anxiety over socialising with other people.

7. Relationships are a struggle for you

• find it difficult getting close to somebody allow yourself to feel vulnerable
• avoid relationships and getting close to others
• Even when you find someone great, you second guess your decisions often resulting in sabotaging a good relationship
• feel anxious about your partner and the relationship
• you have never found Mr or Mrs right

8. You just don’t like yourself

• you cannot look at yourself in the mirror and say you like yourself
• instead of understanding that you make mistakes, you feel that you are completely flawed
• you feel that you are really ugly
• you hate your body
• you are overly critical of yourself and sometimes others

9. You have an amazing poker face

• You don’t show your emotions, never too happy, never too sad
• Certain emotions i.e. anger is a no-no for you
• no matter how you feel inside you put a smile on your face
• to the outside world, you’re okay
• what goes on outside doesn’t reflect what goes on inside
• no one knows how you feel

10. ‘Minor issues tend to stress you out

• things can really stress you out and make you feel anxious.
• you tend to blow things way out of proportion
• you overreact to inconsequential things but knowing that just makes you feel more anxious
• You find it difficult to cope with your emotions