February 26, 2018
How Veterans Can Overcome Social Anxiety and Other Mental Health Issues
Photo by RDNE Stock project under Pexels License
Psychological trauma is a common experience for many of our veterans. After going through a series of battles and witnessing horrific scenes of death and destruction, it’s not surprising that they will carry with them emotional scars. When they fail to get these painful memories out of their minds, our vets end up having mental issues, such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and social anxiety.
Veterans struggling with social anxiety disorder, or social phobia, find it uncomfortable to be in situations that involve mingling, meeting new faces, or pretty much any circumstance where they have to speak up. They develop an irrational fear of being embarrassed in social situations, believing that others will ridicule them. Seeing how distressful they feel about being surrounded by people, socially anxious vets tend to isolate themselves from everyone.
While the disorder can be treated with therapy, some veterans who have this condition do not see it as a problem, choosing to ignore it instead. As a result, life for them becomes more dysfunctional than ever. Looking for a job may not concern them, which in turn may leave them without anything to provide for their own needs and those of their families.
Support Services for Veterans with Social Anxiety
Here are some useful resources that can help our former service members overcome social anxiety and other mental health issues.
This is an online-based treatment program that offers free access to information and treatment pertaining to mental health issues.
A 24/7 confidential crisis hotline, Military Helpline caters to veterans, active-duty service members, and their families. A highly-trained staff and a group of volunteers, who include veterans, work together with past and present military personnel who struggle with mental health disorders, suicide inclination, substance abuse, and anger management. You can reach them at 888-457-4838.
- Make the Connection
Make the Connection is a website that provides hundreds of inspirational stories from our veterans. Hear inspirational stories on how they have overcome personal struggles such as substance abuse and other forms of mental health problems. The website also offers detailed information about mental health.
- Military OneSource
Military OneSource is a free service by the Department of Defense to our former troops and their families. The program gives veterans the opportunity to share about anything that bothers them, including mental health issues. Military OneSource can be contacted at 1-800-342-9647.
This online life-coaching program is designed to train our veterans and their families various skills in overcoming life’s obstacles and challenges that may arise.
Veteran Crisis Line is a free and confidential 24/7 service that connects our vets and their loved ones with highly-skilled VA responders, who include veterans.
Help Veterans Conquer Social Anxiety with Car Donations
Photo by JD Weiher under Unsplash License
Have you not done your part yet in repaying our veterans for their courageous act of protecting our country? Looks like now is the perfect time to do it. With a gesture as simple as donating an old vehicle to Veteran Car Donations, you will help transform the lives of our brave heroes.
How’s that possible? We use your donated vehicles to generate funds for our nonprofit partner organizations that are committed to serving our former servicemen and women. You enable nonprofits such as Soldiers’ Angels and Heroes on the Water to run support programs for our vets and their families.
Once you’re ready to make a car donation with us, let us know right away. Just a simple phone call is all we need, or you may fill out our online donation form, whichever sounds more convenient for you. After that, we will have your vehicle picked up for free. We sell it at auction, and then we mail you a tax-deductible sales receipt that you can use to claim your tax deduction when you file your itemized federal tax return.
That’s pretty much how it is to work with us! A car that’s no longer useful becomes a tool for treating social anxiety, and at the same time you get to enjoy a hefty tax deduction from it!
Donate to Veteran Car Donations today at 877-594-5822!