What ‘I’m Just Kidding’ Sounds Like to Someone With PTSD

Have you known folks throughout your life who like to say outrageous things and wait to get a reaction out of people? Then, they follow it up with a quick, “I’m just kidding!”

These are the self-proclaimed “ballbusters,” or folks who like to joke around. Once in a while, they will come right out and admit they are “testing” you.

I, for one, have never recovered well from those situations. Sometimes it has led to further criticism of me for being “too sensitive” or taking things “too seriously.”

Even so, it never felt quite right. Then, I got my post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis.

As someone who developed PTSD, I was also someone who had developed hypervigilance. The reasons behind everyone’s hypervigilance are different, though the overarching themes are similar. We are often on guard for an ever-present threat. Many of us live in a false reality. We can be unsure of what is happening, and often anticipate bad things at all times.

People with PTSD tend to take things very seriously. We often don’t know how else to interpret things to try to keep ourselves safe. When you say something to us, we tend believe you.

When we run into people who are disingenuous, flakey, gaslighters or are otherwise the type of…