Fireworks and Veterans with PTSD
- lisa@americansunitedinhope
- Jul 3, 2024
- 2 min read
July 4th is a time of celebration and watching fireworks. However, for some Veterans, the fireworks can trigger their PTSD. Fireworks really mimic the sights, sounds and smells of different things that people have been through when in combat. It leads to feeling more anxious, jittery, jumpy and more on edge for some people.
The VA has same day mental health access for those seeking help. The Veteran will meet a licensed mental health professional. They will be accessed to determine what their immediate needs are, how urgent things are as far as the need that they have for their care.
It's a difficult time for Veterans struggling with returning home. Until the Veteran actually begins to talk about it, it's hard for them to get better and move forward. So it's important to seek care and support from the VA.
What we can do to help individually is to be mindful of whether you have any Veterans in the area or any that are coming over to your home to celebrate with you. If you do, give them a heads up that you will be setting off fireworks and it would also be helpful to give estimated time frame for when and how long you'll be setting them off for.
Everybody, after experiencing trauma will have a strong emotional response and for some people, that response lingers, and it may or may not lessen over time. Some veterans will be able to learn, over time, what works for them to get through these triggers throughout their lifetime. We can help them as much as we can by offering a listening ear without judgement and looking up resources for them to utilize.
You can call 877-222-8387 to find the right resources for your needs.
Smartphone apps for Veterans: There are more tools than ever before to support your mental health. Complement your care with mental health apps. These resources can help you manage posttraumatic stress disorder-related symptoms and stress, learn to practice mindfulness, manage depression symptoms and more.
Access tools, educational resources, and self-assessments to help manage the stresses of daily life with PTSD.
Access self-care tools and receive support for living with someone who has PTSD.
Improve your emotional well-being and relationships with interactive tools for understanding and relieving trauma symptoms.
Supplement your Prolonged Exposure (PE) therapy sessions with exercises and techniques to alleviate PTSD symptoms.
