PTSD in Business

PTSD is no joke. It's a serious thing, and it's something we need to talk about today. Let's go. Welcome back, guys. Uh, today's video is gonna be a little bit different than the usual deal, so, uh, we're just gonna get down to it. I'm not gonna do anything else, uh, other than really break this down, and it's something that's near and dear to me that I need to talk about. I've talked about it. I mean, people that know me know what this is about, but the reality is I think it's important to speak to PTSD in business, what to do about it if you come across it, if you're somebody who's suffering through it, is it still possible to be an entrepreneur through it? I just wanted to touch on it today. It's not going to be a long video, but I definitely want to speak to it. So let's get down to it here. So first thing first, guys. For those of you that have watched the channel, you've seen a few videos in the past, you know that I've got a big family. Uh, you know, I work out of my home office here. What some of you might not know is that I actually struggle daily with PTSD. It's something that I've been diagnosed with officially. It's something that I struggle with off camera. Um, I know for a lot of people that have seen my videos, normally you see me kind of upbeat and chipper and ready to roll. Um, the reality is though, PTSD is something that I struggle with every day. It's something that I build my business around, so it's something that I definitely wanted to address here today and just encourage people that have PTSD not to be afraid to become entrepreneurs, to strike out in business, and actually in ways that can be helpful. And then also speak to some of the people that may be engaging with people that have PTSD, just helping you understand what it is, how it works. I'm not a physician. I'm not going to give you the ins and outs of how to treat it or just I want people to understand it is not something to be tiptoed around. It is a real thing. It has to be dealt with. But I want to encourage people that have it to branch out into business. And I want for anybody that is working with people that do have PTSD, what you can do to be understanding and compassionate and actually have some success working with people who suffer from PTSD. So let's take a look at this stuff and break it down. So I guess it is almost 10 years ago now. One of my daughters passed away from SIDS. She was about 3 months old. It was heart-wrenching. I actually have just scarring memories of it where I had to deliver CPR to a little girl who was about 3 months old for about half hour to an hour. And it's just obviously gonna be a scarring memory, both because it's personal and it's just a traumatic experience for anybody that has to give CPR to an infant. A few years later, to compound matters and make things worse, I almost lost my wife And had to give her CPR while driving a car through a blizzard at about 120 kilometers an hour. So for me, all these things kind of compounded and built a terrible cocktail in my mind that kind of just broke me. Led to a nervous breakdown, led to me being diagnosed officially with PTSD, and it's something that I've had to struggle with through the years. Now, obviously in business, there is a certain mentality that's expected, especially of an entrepreneur, to be positive, to be forward-thinking, to be somebody that has the ability to overcome trials and move forward. For me, that's very much the mentality that I had with PTSD. So the first thing, guys, that I'm going to give to you guys that are out there with PTSD and are struggling with it openly, or maybe not as much, you think you might have it, you might not. The first thing that I would recommend for you guys is take the time, go get diagnosed. There's lots of online tests that you guys can take. If you throw it into a Google search right now, PTSD tests, there are some tests that give a rough breakdown of different criteria that may apply to PTSD, and if you have a certain amount of them, you should go speak to a physician. I highly urge you and recommend you, if you are an entrepreneur that thinks that they may be struggling with that, you're a business owner that thinks that they may be struggling with PTSD, I highly recommend you go take one of those tests, guys. Get diagnosed. It's the first step to actually being able to move forward with PTSD as an entrepreneur. Take the time, get diagnosed. The next thing is, guys, It's not leprosy, it's not contagious, it's not a disease. And this one applies both to the people that have PTSD and the people that are working with people with PTSD. It's not gonna spread. Nobody needs to stop everything they're doing and create a bubble around this person. It's not necessary. What is necessary is a little bit of compassion and understanding. So today I really wrestled with whether or not I'd be making a video. And I know I made the commitment to put out a video Monday through Saturday for a year, so I'm making the effort to do that. But this morning I had a shocking flashback. Terrible nightmare woke me. I was absolutely in tears, just broken down. Work was the last thing on my mind. And what I realized was this: you have to push through. You have to move forward. And whether that means you, you have that willpower in you to try to push through it yourself, you need to take time on your own and collect yourself before you can move forward. If you have medication, that, that is a possible route to take. Look at diet, nutrition. Physical fitness, whatever it is, guys. There are lots of treatment plans out there, but take the time you need to collect yourself and then move into what you need to get done. As somebody who has PTSD, let me tell you, there are times where I just need to shut things down as an entrepreneur and say, you need to take a few hours, you need to get focused, you need to get centered. I'll take my meds, I'll do some meditation, I might do some working out just to get my body feeling good again, to get some balance back into it. Uh, help cope a little bit with what's going on. Now, if you're an employer dealing with people with PTSD, and— or maybe you're just coworking with somebody that has it, the best thing that you can do during this time is if somebody needs to step back, even just for a couple hours, you know, I need to reschedule something, or can we move this, or can, you know, I just need to back off this, or I need to go right now, I'm not dealing with something really well, just show a little bit of compassion. And I know that's not always possible, especially in In big business projects, big business deals. At times, it seems so detrimental to have a partner or somebody you're working with who just needs to step back and pull back. But I tell you this, if you are somebody who's able to show that compassion, it will pay dividends in the long run. A lot of amazing people out there deal with PTSD, and I'm thinking largely about not people that necessarily deal with PTSD in their personal lives, but I know so many vets that come back from the military, from working overseas, in, in the Army in some capacity that struggle daily with PTSD. These people have amazing skills and experience. They're powerful leaders that you could have in your business if you have that ability to show the compassion necessary when it's necessary. So if you are somebody who is struggling with PTSD and wants to be an entrepreneur, just realize it means you need— part of the beauty of the flexibility is you have that ability to step back. So take the time to do that. If you're somebody working with somebody who has PTSD as an entrepreneur, take the time, show them the compassion. It will pay out in the long run, guys. Even if it's just ethically, you're gonna feel better as a corporation that supports your staff. I am thankful to say the clients that I work with, whether it's ziplinegear.com, whether it's codingzeal.com, anybody that I work with has an understanding almost from the get-go of who I am, what I'm about. I share that I have this. It's not something I keep hidden. They're aware of it and they're able to make those concessions when necessary. Now, I don't abuse this. That's the other thing with this. That's the caveat, okay? It's not something I abuse. I don't just come up with, oh well, I'm not feeling it today, and I don't show up to work. Anybody that's seen this channel knows that I show up daily almost regardless, and today is no exception. So, if you're somebody with PTSD, make the effort, push through, do what you can, but take the time when you need to to collect yourself and get back on track, okay? If you're somebody working with people who have PTSD, show the compassion, take the time, Give them the space when they need it, and be there as a supportive team instead of somebody who's a demanding employer. All right? That's it for today, guys. I know this isn't super in-depth, but I really just wanted to make this a short video that was encouraging to anybody out there that has PTSD. If you're struggling with that, go get the help, okay? Type in Google, take the test if you suspect you may have it, go get the help, see a physician, go get the treatment you need, and be productive in what you're doing. Realize though, if you're somebody out there who has been diagnosed with PTSD, It doesn't mean you're locked down to being completely bubbled off from the world. You can be an entrepreneur, you can be productive, you can keep moving. Just make sure that you're taking care of yourself at the same time. Guys, if you're working with people that have PTSD, please, I beg of you, show the compassion that's necessary in order to equip these people to be a productive part of the world around you. Especially if they're people that have gone out and served society in some meaningful way, either through being a paramedic, a firefighter, a police officer, and especially those who have served overseas. A huge thank you to all you guys that do that. To anybody that's out there that has shown compassion to somebody with PTSD in the workplace, a huge thank you from me to you. That's it for today, guys. Have an amazing day, and I will see you tomorrow with another video. Catch you later.