{"id":41944,"date":"2020-01-09T09:00:52","date_gmt":"2020-01-09T09:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/01\/09\/what-a-combat-veteran-taught-me-about-handling-stress\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T07:29:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T07:29:34","slug":"what-a-combat-veteran-taught-me-about-handling-stress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2020\/01\/09\/what-a-combat-veteran-taught-me-about-handling-stress\/","title":{"rendered":"What a combat veteran taught me about handling stress"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Unlike a lot of his friends, my brother, Tom, made it home from war in one piece. He\u2019d taken shrapnel to the head and was in life-threatening situations every day for a solid year, but when he stepped back onto American soil, his body was intact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His mind and heart were a different story. His nervous system had been completely rewired in order to survive in a combat zone, and his emotions were no different. In order to function, Tom had to remain unaffected by everyday tragedies like his platoon sergeant getting killed in action or his squad leader getting killed just one week later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When he got home, all the stress and moral confusion began clawing at him from the inside. All of the feelings he\u2019d pushed down started showing up as depression, anxiety, grief, shame, and sorrow for the things he\u2019d seen and done during war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Desperate for stress relief<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tom tried everything to lower his stress levels, but nothing worked. Not even cognitive-behavioral therapy, Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), antidepressants, drugs or alcohol. The stress was killing him, and Tom thought regularly about taking his own life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, on a 2,700-mile walk across the country with a fellow veteran, Tom discovered the power of meditation for stress relief. Where standard methods failed, meditation worked. He learned breathing exercises that made him feel less stressed, more present, and better equipped to handle strong emotions and memories of war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An unexpected antidote to post-traumatic stress<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, Tom is a completely different person. Meditation has helped him live a normal life without being tortured by painful memories. It helps him get through the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it\u2019s also helped him process what happened in Iraq and empowered him to take responsibility for his own healing. Meditation created enough space and distance for him to look at painful memories, accept what happened, and forgive himself and others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But will it work for me?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tom convinced me to try meditation not as a quick fix for stress (though it is), but as a way to understand what was causing my stress in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I learned that too much stress is a warning signal from our body and mind. It\u2019s a way for our subconscious to communicate with our conscious mind and say \u201cHey! Something\u2019s off here. Let\u2019s take a look at it and see what we need to do about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t get me wrong \u2014 meditation feels really good, too. When I sit and close my eyes, and focus on my breath, it\u2019s not long before I slip into a state of total relaxation. Sometimes, relaxation even turns into joy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I notice that I feel lighter throughout the day, more playful with my kids, and less worried about what the future holds. Things that used to stress me out at work feel more like little annoyances that really don\u2019t matter all that much.<\/p>\n\n\n\t