Punish that Stressful Demon: Everyone Now Has PTSD

By Saundra T. Russell RN

Keeping trauma to yourself
Only makes the hurt feel worse
Sharing it with someone will help you
Writing it down will help lift the curse!

Saundra Russell understands physical pain and mental anguish. A poet since a young age, she has found comfort writing original verse during times of stress and excruciating pain. Now she shares a collection of verse tailored like a self-help workbook to guide others to conquer the battle within and move forward into a new chapter.

Within a simple manual that includes examples of poems, Saundra invites anyone suffering from PTSD to first reflect about their traumatic experiences, the stress that it has caused, and how it has contributed to their PTSD, and then compose short rhyming poems that encourage healing and serve as a gentle reminder that they are never alone in their personal challenges.

Punish that Stressful Demon is a poetry workbook that offers a safe space for those battling PTSD to reflect, create original verse, and heal from trauma.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Feb 8, 2024
• ISBN: 9781663251329

Saundra T. Russell RN

Saundra T. Russell RN is an award-winning poet and the author of four other books who holds a place in the PoetryFest Hall of Fame. She is a lifelong dyslexic who is battling several health challenges including MS.

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Copyright © 2024 Saundra T. Russell RN.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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ISBN: 978-1-6632-5131-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6632-5132-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023904106

iUniverse rev. date: 01/15/2024

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CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter 1   PTSD

Chapter 2   COVID -19 and PTSD

Chapter 3   Accidents, Bullying, Weather

Chapter 4   Love and Marriage

Chapter 5   Kindness

Chapter 6   Social Issues

Chapter 7   It’s All about You

Chapter 8   Enjoyable Self Help Exercises For You To Do

Chapter 9   Miscellaneous STaRISM’s and Not The End

About the Author

INTRODUCTION

This poetry self-help workbook is unique in that it guides the reader to conquer the battle within by learning to compose short, four-line poems that rhyme on lines 2 and 4, allowing for time to reflect and think about what traumatic Experience(s) are stressing them and contributing to their PTSD. I would like to express my gratitude and make it known that the contents of this civilian PTSD poetry self-help workbook contain poems written after gathering information from various individuals I spoke to on the related topics. It does not contain personal information. Nor does it identify individuals who contributed information for any individual poem and who have given their approval for publishing it.

Try everything to heal

Use every opportunity

Write it down

Let it go, find ways

For you to begin

Less traumatic days!

Opportunity

+Perseverance

=Success

Everyone now has PTSD

Poetizing

Traumatic

Situations

Daily

Is it the coronavirus

Specifically COVID-19

And the variants that have

Come on the scene!

Perhaps it is weather

High humidity and the heat

Or is it the rain and the floods

That are not so neat!

If you need to lose weight

Did you do your best

Your best to look great

Do ask yourself

Before you stress!

The tornadoes come now

Worse than Dorothy had

And wildfires grow too fast

It can be very bad!

Could it be drugs

Addicting many

Is it fentanyl, cocaine

Or is it the war

Russia has made in Ukraine?

The monsoon, typhoon

And tsunamis were too much

Prepare, prepare, prepare they did

Until it was all done and such!

Destress, assess, and repossess a cool, calm, purposeful life

                                                    Happy life

                                                    Happy wife

                                                    Happy spouse

                                                    Happy house

If a parent wants to minimize Some traumatic stress

Take CPR, first aid, and

Children’s swimming classes

Not just to impress!

Could it be the political environment today

Or the financial situation that has gone astray

Cannot say, hip-hip-hooray!

Many ask what has happened

To their savings

They say they do not carelessly

Spend it on their cravings!

Thinking you had saved enough

For your retirement

So where did all your money go

Money you have not spent!

As much as you can, enjoy each and every day

Tomorrow is not promised

Minimize your stress in all you may do

Do not let happiness be dismissed!

EVERYONE IS INVITED TO

 Put

                              Their

                              Story

Down

Anywhere, anytime

By you

To help relieve your

PTSD symptoms too!

We, the Homo sapiens of the world on all seven continents

at some stage of our lives have suffered a traumatic event in some place and time

Therefore,

We all have some form of PTSD

Post Traumatic Stress

Disease, Diagnosis or Disorder!

Lack of any of the three

Necessary social elements

Time, Energy and/or Money

Is more than likely the

Underlying impetus manifested In a non relevant action or

Reaction that results in trauma!

Enjoy this workbook, and follow the Knowledge University* instructions.

And then…

Congratulate yourself by doing something positive for yourself.

UNDERSTANDING MY KNOWLEDGE UNIVERSITY

MY—It’s yours

Own it because it is all about you

KU—Keeping up

MY*KU—My keeping up

My knowledge is understood in

My Knowledge University.

A Collection of MY*KU’s is

My Knowledge University*

                                              Knowledge is power

                                              Understanding empowers

Understand before You Begin

                                                 Spirit—Feeling

                                                 Mind—Thought

                                                 Body—Physical being

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pursue

The

Self-help

Daily

And…

Put

The

Story

Down

My*KU poems are to be written on the lines on the right-side pages that are given to put the story down!

Note: There are two MY*KU pages at the end of each chapter to put the story down.

STaR*KU are sample poems.

Sample poems are given at the end of each chapter, on the

MY*KU page on the right.

Note: STaR*KU is the author’s initials + Knowledge University

Spirit

Body

Mind

STaR*KU

Memories of too many bad times

Traumatic thoughts it brings

Stressful thoughts in my head

Comes in untimely dings!

Successes can come in multiples

So don’t limit yourself to just One thing

Diversify and have separated

Step out, and see what your life Can bring!

Praying

That

Something

Develops

MY*KU

(Write your poem here)

Body

Mind

Spirit

Please

Tell your

Self to

Do it

Try everything to heal

Use every opportunity

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CHAPTER

PTSD

COMMON PTSD SYMPTOMS

Behavioral

• Agitation

• Irritability

• Hostility

• Hyper-vigilance

• Self-destructive behavior

• Social isolation

Psychological

• Flashbacks

• Fears

• Severe anxiety

• Mistrust

• Mood disorders

• Loss of interest in activities

• Loss of pleasure in activities

• Guilt

• Loneliness

• Sleep