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What the Mirror Doesn't Show About the Girl With PTSD

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Do you see that blond hair, beautiful girl staring back at you in the mirror? Pretty as can be. Perfect makeup. Not too much, but enough to make her glow. She must have everything. She must live a great life. She must have boys all over her and embrace it.

• What is PTSD?

What you don’t know is this blonde is unsure about herself. She hates the way she looks, the way she walks and talks. She puts makeup on so she might blend in, hiding the dark circles that drop down to the cheekbones that give her face shape.

She isn’t physically beaten, but mentally. This girl you see has post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She is scared to have a real life or a boyfriend.

She is the one who hides in concern when she should be on the dance floor. The one who tried to hide every inch of skin. The one who wants help but will not ask for it. The one who is willing to help everyone, but who no one is willing to help. The one who stays in on Friday when she should be the life of the party, out and about. The one who hides in the barn when she should be with her friends.

Don’t judge just because you see someone and think you know it all. You might not know. Deep down inside, they might be fighting a battle. A battle that has forced them to live the way they do, even though others do not think it is right. PTSD is a way of life many cannot understand.

The mirror doesn’t show the thoughts, pain and hurt that is inside; the pain that controls you, makes you jump or makes you fall into crying spells that make you afraid of everyone.

Image via Thinkstock.

Originally published: January 9, 2017
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