Reefing Saved My Life!

A cliched but heartfelt response. Thanks for your article and your service.

I’ve just bought a tank and the equipment with the hopes that this hobby can help me with my triggers as well. Setting everything up has been hard so far because my brain damage from too many concussions fuel my ptsd. I just fear that i’ll set it up badly and cause more harm then calmness and relief

Everyone that is in the hobby can relate to this. We all have problems and some are more difficult than others, but everyone of us loves to sit in front of the tank and enjoy. Even if just for a moment it is very relaxing and helps relieve the stress and "forget" the problems. Of course they don´t disappear, we can only hope they go away...

There are many modalities to coping with PTSD, reefing is a fantastic way to get "out of one's head'. Thank tou for writing this article. It helped me as well.

Thank you for sharing and keeping reefing personal. IMO that’s what keeps it going.

Completely relatable.

Great article. Thank you for your service.

Thank you for sharing such a difficult aspect of your life! Finding inner peace is no easy matter and you seem to have found a fantastic way of dealing with those demons.

Well written, not overly wordy or complex. The T Shirt picture at the end wraps up the entire thesis well.

Thank you for being a voice when for so many years we are told to suck it up and move on. We did our duties, and now, as your well spoken article says, we cope. We are not fine or ok, we cope. All day, every day. Thank you for sharing.

Well written and enlightening article. Thank you for your service and I hope your tank continues to reflect your care.

I think many people, including myself, can relate to what you've gone through and how reefing has helped them. I know that I have experienced similar benefits of reefing. I wish you the best on your journey and feel solace that you're helping others.

Thank you for opening up to us, and sharing your story. I wish you continued peace.

Awesome article. I'm glad you were able to find something to bring you some relief.

I grew up in a community with a fair number of WW2 vets and got to know some of them fairly well. They all suffered to some degree and never really talked about their experiences.

Kudos to you for sharing a little bit.

This was a very touching and relatable story. Your honesty and frankness were refreshing as well as your humbleness. Thanks for giving me something else to relate to in this hobby. It lets me know I'm not the only one. Different seat - same canoe/creek.

I honestly cried hard reading this. I totally get it. I'm dealing with a parent with dementia which is nothing compared with PTSD, but I can so relate. This hobby can help so much with these things...Bravo in writing it!

Great article and explanation. I recently got my mom a freshwater turtle tank because part of her problem was she was no longer able to be the caretaker of the family and our roles became reversed...She has ptsd from a car accident and has been in and out of the hospital/surgeries for over 3 years. Her turtles not only give her something to care for but they are also a huge distraction for her which was really needed. Good luck

Outstanding article! It would be great if we could make it available to PTSD victims outside our community. Looking forward to your follow-up. How do I get a t-shirt?

Great job