Handle PTSD as a Founder: Understanding Symptoms, Triggers, and Trauma-Focused Support
"Why do I freeze up at things that should not bother me anymore?"
If you have lived through something frightening or overwhelming, the question may show up in the middle of a business day: during a tense call, a loud room, a certain kind of conflict, or a quiet moment when your mind returns somewhere you would rather not go.
This article shares what the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' National Center for PTSD and the American Psychological Association say about post-traumatic stress, so you can understand what you may be experiencing and where to find help. It is general information and not a diagnosis. Only a mental health professional can diagnose PTSD.
What It Means to Handle PTSD as a Founder
The National Center for PTSD describes posttraumatic stress disorder as a mental health problem that can develop after a person goes through or sees a life-threatening event.
The American Psychological Association describes trauma more broadly as an emotional response to a disturbing experience, such as an accident, a crime, war, or a natural disaster, and notes that traumatic events can shake a person's sense that the world is safe and predictable.
Most people feel shaken after something frightening. The National Center for PTSD explains that most people's stress reactions improve within a few weeks.
PTSD is different because the symptoms last and begin to interfere with daily life. For a founder, daily life includes the demands of customers, money, deadlines, and decisions, with no manager to shield you on hard days.
The Four Groups of Symptoms When You Handle PTSD as a Founder
The National Center for PTSD groups PTSD symptoms into four types, and a diagnosis involves symptoms from each type:
Reliving the event. Unwanted memories, nightmares, flashbacks, or strong distress when something reminds you of what happened.
Avoidance. Staying away from people, places, or situations that bring the experience to mind, or avoiding thoughts and conversations about it.
Negative thoughts and feelings. Numbness, loss of interest in things you used to enjoy, gaps in memory about the event, a feeling that the world is dangerous, or guilt and shame.
Feeling on edge. Trouble sleeping or concentrating, being easily startled, irritability, or turning to unhealthy ways of coping, such as misusing substances.
These can show up in a business in ways that are easy to misread. Poor sleep and trouble concentrating may look like a productivity problem. Avoiding certain situations may look like procrastination or "being picky about clients." Irritability may strain a partnership or a team.
When the cause is a response to trauma, working harder at productivity tips will not reach the root of it, and being gentle with yourself while you look for the right support is a sound first step.
What Helps When You Handle PTSD as a Founder
The National Center for PTSD names three trauma-focused psychotherapies as the most highly recommended treatments:
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), which focuses on how the trauma has changed your thoughts and feelings.
Prolonged Exposure (PE), which helps you gradually approach memories and situations you have been avoiding.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), which involves processing trauma memories while paying attention to back-and-forth eye movements or sounds.
Certain medications can also help. The National Center for PTSD lists sertraline (Zoloft), paroxetine (Paxil), and venlafaxine (Effexor), and says therapy and medication are sometimes combined. A prescriber can talk through benefits and side effects with you.
The American Psychological Association adds that people often recover best when they lean on loved ones, make self-care a priority, and give themselves patience. It also points readers to its clinical practice guideline on treating PTSD in adults, which covers both psychological and medication treatments.
When to Seek Help to Handle PTSD as a Founder
The National Center for PTSD advises talking with a doctor or mental health provider if your symptoms last longer than a month, feel very upsetting, or disrupt your daily life. A primary care provider is a good first stop, and they can refer you to someone who specializes in trauma.
If you are in crisis or having thoughts of ending your life, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at any time. Veterans can call 988 and press 1, text 838255, or chat online with the Veterans Crisis Line. In a life-threatening emergency, call 911.
Business owners often wait to get help because the business feels like it needs them every day. A few ideas may make that first step easier.
You can book the appointment at a time you protect on your calendar, as you would a meeting with an important client. You can tell one trusted person what you are planning. You can also ask a provider how to pace therapy around your work, since trauma-focused treatment is a commitment and your schedule matters.
In my experience as a life coach, founders who treat their mental health as part of running the business, and not as something to handle after the business is stable, tend to make clearer decisions and recover faster from hard seasons.
What happened to you shaped you, and it does not have to run your business. Support exists, it works for many people, and reaching for it is a strong decision.
Ready to Build Your Business With Steady Support?
If you want a steady place to think through your goals and your next steps while you care for yourself, you do not have to figure it out alone. Book a Free 30-Minute Chat with Asi Efros to talk through a plan that fits you.
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