How to Develop a Safety Plan for PTSD Symptoms

How to Develop a Safety Plan for PTSD Symptoms PTSD Coping Print How to Develop a Safety Plan for PTSD Symptoms By Matthew Tull, PhD twitter Matthew Tull, PhD is a professor of psychology at the University of Toledo, specializing in post-traumatic stress disorder. Learn about our editorial policy Matthew Tull, PhD Updated on December 05, 2019 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Overview Symptoms & Diagnosis Causes & Risk Factors Treatment Living With In Children J.A. Bracchi/Getty Images If you have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), then you likely know that your PTSD symptoms can occur at any time and in any place. PTSD triggers are all around, and it may not take much for a trigger to cause intrusive memories and thoughts about a traumatic event, symptoms of hyperarousal and hypervigilance, or emotional distress. Therefore, given that the occurrence of PTSD symptoms can be unpredictable, it is important to create a safety plan for coping with them when they occur. What Is a Safety Plan? As the name implies, a safety plan is designed to keep you safe when you are suddenly confronted with a difficult situation or crisis. It is basically a way of planning ahead for how to cope with problems should they arise. For example, what would you do if you start to experience a flashback while at the grocery store? How would you cope with intrusive thoughts while in a business meeting? Below are some ideas of things to consider including in your personalized safety plan for dealing with your PTSD symptoms when they occur. Think Ahead Before you go out, think about whether or not you might encounter some triggers for your PTSD symptoms. Identify what those triggers may be and how you can avoid them. If you cant avoid your triggers, come up with several methods of coping with them. In other words, learning how to identify and cope with PTSD triggers is an important first step in putting together your PTSD safety plan. Some common external triggers include: Seeing people or who remind you of your traumatic eventSeeing places which remind you of your traumatic eventSeeing a television show which reminds you of your traumaAnniversariesHolidaysSmells (such as the smell of a hospital)Seeing an accident Write Down a List of Emergency Numbers Social support can be an excellent way of coping with PTSD symptoms. However, social support is only useful if you can get in touch with someone when you are in need. Therefore, make a list of supportive people you can call should you be in a situation where you need help. Make sure you put more than one number on the list in case the first person you call is not available. If you have a therapist and you are able to contact him or her outside of the session, you may want his or her name on your list as well. You may want to make sure you have these numbers programmed into your phone in addition to written out in an easy to access location. Make Sure You Have Your Medication With You If you are on medication for PTSD, make sure that you have it available so that you dont run into any risk of missing a dose. Also, if you are on PRN medication (medication taken as needed), make sure that you have it with you in case you are in a situation where you need it to manage your symptoms. Identify Ways of Coping When people are experiencing emotional distress, it can be very difficult to think of ways of coping with that distress. Therefore, it is best to think ahead of how you might cope with emotional distress should it arise. It may be helpful to make coping cards, notecards you can carry with you that take you through a particular coping strategy. To make your own coping cards, get some index cards and write down, step-by-step, what you would need to do to cope with distress using a particular coping strategy, such as deep breathing or grounding. Take these cards with you wherever you go. Then, when you are experiencing distress, take out the card and go through each step. There are also phone apps available that can help you prepare for crises with PTSD. Identify Early Warning Signs Take a time to learn about and write down the early warning signs that a PTSD symptom may be coming on. Most symptoms dont suddenly occur, but are, in fact, preceded by these warning signs. Warning signs may include: Changes in how you thinkChanges in your moodChanges in your behavior Learning to recognize these warning signs is important both when you are coping with PTSD daily and to avoid relapses as you heal. Enlist the Help of Others Finally, if you are going someplace where you know there may be PTSD triggers, have someone you trust contact you several times throughout the day to see how you are doing and whether or not you need any support. Check-ins like these will make sure that help is not far away should you need it. Bottom Line A safety plan is all about being prepared. Even if you feel as though there is hardly any chance that your PTSD will be triggered, it is best to take the time to come up with a plan in case you do encounter a trigger. The amount of time that you spend coming up with a safety plan will be well worth it if a crisis situation is prevented.