Post traumatic stress disorder anxiety and fear are the most sensible of PTSD symptoms. You have experienced horrible events. Once upon a time, you allowed yourself to believe that such things only happened to other people, people who somehow to let it happen. They weren’t cautious enough or they took foolish risks. It wouldn’t happen to you, because you were smart, and careful. Nope, couldn’t happen to you. But then, it did. You were smacked in the face with the impartiality of trauma. It can happen to anyone.

The impossibility of being safe is now staring you in the face. You have seen innocent people get hurt, or you were hurt yourself. You know are not safe, and neither are the people you love. You are afraid that it will happen again, that you or those you love will be hurt. That is why you have post traumatic stress disorder anxiety.

But it is worse than just knowing the past could repeat itself. You know that these particular bad things happened, but then there are a whole world of other bad things that could occur. There are things you cannot predict, or prepare for, or prevent. But you can imagine them – and you do, in all sorts of ugly scenarios. The good news is, most of them will never happen. Some part of you knows that. But that tiny voice is being drowned out by the screams of the traumatized part of your brain.

Your fear and anxiety is quite logical. It makes sense. It is a way of protecting yourself. Fear can prevent you from doing stupid things. But this constant anxiety is problematic. You can't function very well if you are always anticipating disaster. You realize that the cost of being safe, completely safe means never interacting with others. You know it means living without the things that make life worthwhile, that it means having nothing to lose. You know you don’t want to live like that.

So you have precious people and valuable things in your life. You want to protect them but you have to accept that it is impossible keep them completely safe. It’s all about balance. You have to work on facing your trauma. You have to work on reasonable ways to reduce your post traumatic stress disorder anxiety. See a medical doctor, talk to a counselor, join a support group, maybe try some alternative treatments. If you need medication, take it. These are all tools to help you find a new equilibrium.

Accept your feelings as a normal, even reasonable reaction to what you've experienced. That’s the first step. This will reduce your anxiety about your anxiety. Accept it. Then use whatever treatments are necessary to find that new equilibrium.

That is your job now – to find a new balance that respects the reality of your experience but allows you to have a life. You want to function in the world, to feel love, and to give love. You do not have to live in fear. You can find a way to live that accepts the past and lets you have a future. Post traumatic stress disorder anxiety does not have to run your life.