What does PTSD really look like?

PTSD doesn’t have one face – what it looks like can be very different from person to person. It can range from drinking too much, not sleeping, pushing people away, or feeling exhausted from scanning for danger all the time. To help increase understanding of the real life impact on someone who is experiencing PTSD, we’ve compiled some examples of how symptoms of the condition affect everyday life. These examples are fictional but informed by the real experiences of multiple veterans.

Symptom: Hyperarousal

After a traumatic experience, some people find themselves feeling constantly on edge, this is called hyperarousal. It can make everyday situations feel overwhelming, cause people to react in ways that don’t feel like ‘them,’ or lead them to avoid certain places or events because they feel drained or overstimulated. The impact on everyday life: Since his military trauma, Bob has struggled with stress and irritability. He often feels like his body is reacting before his mind can catch up. At the supermarket, for example, he feels constantly on edge, especially when it's busy. Crowds make him feel threatened and easily irritated - he’s snapped at people and sometimes leaves without buying anything. Once in his car, he starts to settle but only feels truly at ease at home. By then, he’s exhausted and just wants to lie down and switch off. This often causes tension at home, his wife is frustrated he didn’t get dinner, and his kids feel pushed away. Bob snaps at them, saying he’s had a long day, but later feels guilty. He wants to be dependable and present, but this cycle keeps repeating.

Symptom: Challenges in information progressing

PTSD can also impact the way an individual processes information and tasks. At times feelings of overwhelm can be a barrier to a veteran’s ability to engage in everyday roles and activities.

The impact on everyday life:

Kelly has always taken pride in being organised and was proud to land a good job after leaving the military. But lately, the workload feels overwhelming. She’s easily distracted, especially by people moving around or sudden noises, and often feels on edge. She’s fallen behind on a project due to forgetting or misunderstanding things, but hesitates to ask for help, worried about being seen as incompetent. Kelly feels frustrated, she has the skills and experience, but even simple tasks now feel out of reach.

Symptom: Sleeping problems

Sleep disturbances are common for veterans with PTSD including nightmares and sleep anxiety cause sleep deprivation which, when chronic, can impact every area of a veteran’s life. The impact on everyday life: Brian is a proud dad of three and shares school drop-off duties with his wife. Lately, worsening nightmares have made it hard for him to sleep—he struggles to fall asleep, and when he wakes, he often can’t get back to sleep. Most nights, he gets only a few hours of broken rest. As a result, mornings have become chaotic. He wakes late, feels panicked, and often snaps at the kids or expects them to manage on their own. He feels guilty afterward, knowing it’s his responsibility. After the school raised concerns about lateness, his wife arranged for a neighbour to help. While that eased the pressure, it left Brian feeling even more defeated. He wishes he could sleep peacefully again and stop dreading bedtime.

Every day we help veterans overcome the debilitating effects of PTSD. Our specialist treatment enables veterans to recover and move on with their lives. Whilst sadly it can take many years for a veteran to seek our help (14 years is the average), our specialist treatment can, very often, quickly change lives. After our treatment, many veterans tell us ‘I feel like I did before I developed PTSD’.