June is PTSD Awareness Month—a time to slow down, reflect, and hold space for something that often goes unseen.

Hi ,

PTSD, or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, can develop after someone experiences something deeply overwhelming or unsafe. It’s not just about one moment—it can come from ongoing experiences, from relationships, from childhood, from environments that felt too much for too long. And it’s not a sign of weakness. It’s a natural response from a nervous system trying to survive.

Sometimes PTSD shows up as flashbacks or nightmares. Sometimes it’s avoidance—of people, places, or feelings that feel too triggering to face. Other times, it’s irritability, numbness, exhaustion, hypervigilance, or feeling disconnected from the world around you. Some people have trouble sleeping. Some feel shame for “not being over it.” Some don’t even realize that what they’re living with is trauma.

And still, all of it is valid.

You don’t need to justify how deeply something affected you. You don’t have to fit into a textbook definition to deserve support. If your body is holding onto something it never got to fully process—you’re not broken. You’re human.

If you’re living with PTSD, here are a few gentle reminders that might be helpful:
Give yourself permission to take things slow.
Notice what helps you feel safe and grounded—whether it’s a quiet space, time in nature, or connection with someone you trust.
Create routines that offer predictability.
Know that triggers are not failures—they’re invitations to respond with care, not criticism.
And most of all, try to speak to yourself with the same compassion you would offer someone else.

This month, we honor the complexity of healing. The quiet work of rebuilding trust in yourself and in others. The slow process of learning what safety feels like again.

You don’t have to reach a breaking point to begin. You don’t have to have all the words. You’re allowed to heal at your own pace—and you’re worthy of care, exactly as you are.