Tag: survive

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Time to be Strong in a Not so Friendly World

It has been an interesting two months. I have been grounded in my home because of underlining problems with my health. Can’t go to a restaurant. Can’t meet friends and talk. Can”t hug my kids and grandchildren.

There are many other no, noes. However I am sure you know them.

So what can we do?

Some suggestions:

  1. Yes, you can watch TV all day.
  2. Go for walks. My wife and I went walking this afternoon. It was hot, and I struggled, but I am glad I went.
  3. Call ALL your family and friends and see how they are doing. Yes, this may take several days. Here’s what happens: You put a smile on their face, and because of that you have one too.
  4. Read! What a perfect time to sit in your favorite chair and read. I can recommend my first book, Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World. I am sold out, but it is on Amazon as an e-book. I also suggest the Bible. Lots of drama, happy endings, sad endings, and lots of hope.
  5. Get creative around your house. I took on cleaning out two cupboards in the bathroom. They both were a mess. When I was done they were well organized, and I felt proud.

As a veteran what is happening is very hard on me. I am use to structure, but not this bad. I would rather be able to go where I want to when I want to.

How are you doing?

Are you climbing the walls? Is your temper a little loose? Do you want to stay in bed instead of facing the day. You aren’t alone. There are many other veterans in the same boat with you.

Stay Strong!

Be an asset to your family not a hindrance. Show leadership and keep your family happy.

I encourage you to subscribe to this site. There will posts with hope and love for our veterans. Just go to the top, and click on subscribe.

Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never unloved.

You are forsaken.

And above all…Never, ever, give up!

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Change is Hard Even if it’s Good Change

Thanks to all of you who have been joining us here. We help bring change to lives. The response has been wonderful.  We just past 3,885 new subscribers. That was a huge increase in 2016. We only had 1,000 two years ago. In 2017 help us to make it to 4,000.

We are only 115 away of reaching our goal.  We will be giving a prize to the person who is our 4,000th person to subscribe. 

Help us make it to 4,000 by subscribing today if you haven’t already. This shows you care for veterans. Just click on the icon right after the title of this post to do that, and the posts will come straight to your inbox.                            ____________________________________________________________

Doug Bolton, the founder of the blog, Signs of Hope, which is at www.dailysignsofhope.com, has written a new book, “Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.” It reaches out the many military and veterans who may be battling anxiety, fear, depression, addictions, rejections, and the many other usual suspects. There are 22 military connected suicides every day. That is almost one every hour. Doug wants to help stop those statistics.  

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This is a new social network just for veterans. I joined it and made instant friendships with veterans who want to talk about what I want to talk about. Please check it out. You will be glad you did. 

https://www.rallypoint.com/join/spc-douglas-bolton

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We have just added a fantastic product for people who are suffering from PTSD. I have looked at the video myself. It is a little long, but it is very valuable. Go to   https://sites.google.com/site/v4vweaponspackage/  to see for yourself. It will change your life if you suffer from PTSD. 

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Change is hard even if it is good change. 

I have been connecting with many veterans through RallyPoint. It is a social network just forminitary and their families. Here is the link. Check it out.

www.rallypoint.com/join/spc-douglas-bolton

One thing I have been hearing from people I am connected with is the hard times they have been having since they moved to the civilian life. The change they have to go through is very hard at best.

  • Fitting into a civilian job.
  • Finding new friends
  • Learning to not force their feelings onto others.
  • Battling PTSD,TBI, Depression, Homelessness, War wounds.

The list could go on. Many of you could write your own list.

When I am writing this I am directing my words not only to the veterans, but to their families and friends. You are an important part of their transition. You need to help the veteran through his change. 

There are so many who are struggling. 22 veterans take their own lives every day! Some say that figure is even higher.  Some veterans can not win the battle of change that is churning in their own heads.

I am glad to say that I have finally found peace for me. I was very depressed when I came out of the military. Yes, it was half a century ago, and they didn’t have the word PTSD, but I was there. I was struggling. I considered suicide myself. I even sat in my rig one day back in 2001,and was ready to check out of this hotel called earth.

God stopped me that day, and directed me into writing, and here I am spilling my guts to you.

So, What can we do to fight back? How can we survive?

  1. The first thing I learned is that most of my battle was in my head. I finally realized that the mind can control you in a positive way and a negative way. If we let it, the mind can be our secret weapon. If we block out the negative thoughts and only allow positive thoughts, I whole life will change.

Sound too simplistic? It may be for some, but check it out as one of your steps to recovery on the path of change you are walking.

2. Slow down. You don’t need to rush into anything. You have heard the saying about people who are in the rat race? Will I am here to tell you that even rats rest. They sleep after a hard day of scaring people. BTW… even the tides rest. They come up to a high spot and pause for a few minutes and then they go into the other direction. That is what we need to do. We need to pause and go the other direction to accept change.

3. You may think you aren’t capable of taking all this on. Maybe you are thinking you would rather stay in bed all day and forget the world. You may even want to stick your head in the sand and hide. You are strong! You may not have heard that in a while, but back to basics my friend. When you went into the military, you were a mean, green, fighting machine. Find that same fire in your belly. Dig deep and pull out the strength you had then.

4. Know when to ask for help. Others can help you change. Most veterans feel they shouldn’t ask for help because they are supposed to be tough. If I kept that mentality I wouldn’t be here today writing to you. Ask for help! I am going to share a telephone number with you, and please call it if you have any self destruction ideas for yourself.

There is always help for you 24/7 at: 1-800-273-8255

5. Take charge of your life. Do a turn around. Stop letting the dark side control you. Accept the change.

 

Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

Posted on

So Many Veterans Take Their Own Lives

Thanks to all of you who have been joining us here. The response has been wonderful.  We just past 3,745 new subscribers. That is a huge increase in 2016. We only had 1,000 two years ago. In 2017 help us to make it to 4,000. We are only 260 away of reaching our goal.  Help us make it by subscribing today if you haven’t already. This shows you care for veterans. Just click on the icon right after the title of this post to do that, and the posts will come straight to your inbox.                            ____________________________________________________________

Doug Bolton, the founder of the blog, Signs of Hope, which is at www.dailysignsofhope.com, has written a new book, “Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.” It reaches out the many military and veterans who may be battling anxiety, fear, depression, addictions, rejections, and the many other usual suspects. There are 22 military connected suicides every day. That is almost one every hour. Doug wants to help stop those statistics.  

______________________________________________________________

This is a new social network just for veterans. I joined it and made instant friendships with veterans who want to talk about what I want to talk about. Please check it out. You will be glad you did. 

www.rallypoint.com/join/spc-douglas-bolton

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One of the hardest thing to accept about the military is that there are 22 veterans who commit suicide every day. Yes I said every day.

That is not acceptable of course, and i am doing whatever I can to reach out to these brothers and sisters.

What follows is an actual post I did for the site http://www.victoryforveterans.org. It is a site dedicated to getting help for veterans for any reasons they need help. I highly recommend you check them out. Go to the blog and subscribe there so you can get the posts in your inbox like you can here.

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Why Does Someone Think of Committing Suicide? 

Suicide is a topic that no one wants to talk about.

One of the harshest realities of the military, is that 22 veterans are committing suicide every day. That includes women.

The rate of suicides is much higher than the private sector. Before I finish this post another brother or sister in the military will have ended their life.

Those are very stark statistics, but they are real.

How could someone even think of taking their own life?

That is the question everyone keeps asking. Why are there so many veterans ending their lives?

I can’t read into the minds of each of the people who have left us, but I can say that I was there myself at one time.

In 2001 I was at my lowest point in my life. I had retired for teaching in 1995, and I had a job as a clerk at Macy’s. It felt I had hit a wall. Nothing to look forward to. I felt like I was on an island by myself. How could I be feeling that when I had a loving wife, three wonderful children, and seven grandchildren.

On March 31st, 2001, I was driving my old Ford Explorer, and crying my eyes out. I didn’t even know why I was crying. I couldn’t  even drive I was sobbing so much, so I turned into a high school parking lot.

The windows all got fogged up from my crying. I was at the end of my rope, and I knew I was going to make a terrible decision soon.

I called my wife and she drove to me quickly and calmed me down. She literally help me through that day. She went back home, and I sat there relieved that I had come to my senses, and not committed suicide, but I was also angry that I was going through this nightmare. I cried out to God, I can’t take this anymore!

Then suddenly the air in the rig was different. The windows cleared up, and the air was fresher. It was if God was saying to me, It’s about time you came back to me, now let me carry you the rest of the way. 

My whole life changed that day. I went home and asked God why He saved my life? I suddenly realized that He wanted me to write a book, from my journals I had collected through the years.

So I dug them out of the closet, and opened the oldest one up. Sure enough it talked about my hurts, my good times, and how I made it through the hurts.

Much  from those journals are in my first book, Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World. 

How about you? Are you struggling. Do your days seems dark and dreary? Do you wish you could stay in bed all day and not face the world? Have you actually thought of suicide?

I hear you! I have been there. Seek help if you are lost and are feeling hopeless. There are resources you can find to help you. Don’t hide your feelings. Tell someone about your struggles and let them show you the way out of the fog of life.

This is our goal here at Victory for Veterans. We find help for anyone who is struggling. We have partners who specialize in any issue you may be facing. They can get you the much needed help you need.

http://www.victoryforveterans.org

There is always help for you 24/7 at: 1-800-273-8255

Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all….never, ever, give up!