{"id":3285,"date":"2016-11-04T14:51:03","date_gmt":"2016-11-04T14:51:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/p=?3285"},"modified":"2016-11-04T14:51:03","modified_gmt":"2016-11-04T14:51:03","slug":"bonfire-night-advice-for-veterans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/news\/bonfire-night-advice-for-veterans\/","title":{"rendered":"Bonfire night advice for veterans"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bonfire night is tomorrow (Saturday November, 5th) and can be a difficult event for veterans, especially those suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Even if you don't go out to your local bonfire, people in your area are still likely to be letting of fireworks throughout the evening and for the next week.<\/p>\n

All the noise, fire and burning smells on the air could very well serve as a trigger for you, conjuring up memories and thoughts that upset you and cause stress. It's important to know that this doesn't say anything about who you are, it is just a symptom of PTSD and so you should be prepared just in case.<\/p>\n

To help you get through the events of Guy Fawkes night, here are some tips that you may find useful: <\/p>\n

Make a plan<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It is a good idea to make a plan for your evening whether you want to stay at home or go out. This will help you structure your night and give you something else to think of, even if you're just going to watch some films with friends.<\/p>\n

If you feel up to going out, decide where you're going, with whom and when. This will help you to remember that the situation is very different from any you may have had to deal with during combat and help to ground you.  <\/p>\n

Figure out your triggers<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If you know you have triggers, be mindful of them. Be ready to address them when you need to, whether this means taking something with a fragrance to counteract the smell of burning or taking shelter when the fireworks start. <\/p>\n

Knowing what might trigger you and how your body reacts when something starts to upset you can allow you to calm down before things get too bad.  <\/p>\n

Talk to those you're with<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Not only should you ensure you're not on your own, you should also talk to those you're going to be spending the evening with to let them know why it could be a problem for you. This will ensure someone is with you but that they don't smother you throughout the evening.<\/p>\n

Let them know if you have any tells when things are getting too stressful or come up with some sort of signal that you need to find a quiet place. Even if you just talk to one person you're going with, it could help you feel safer. <\/p>\n

Stay relaxed and breathe<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Getting worked up over the possibility of triggering your PTSD isn't going to help matters, so it's important that you are relaxed at the start of the evening. Do something that helps you to calm down and just keep breathing at a good pace.<\/p>\n

If you feel your stress levels to rise, stop and take some calming breaths, as this will help your body to relax. You may find it helpful to find a space where there are fewer people as well, as feeling less crowded will also help you calm down.<\/p>\n

Just remember to stay safe and have your support network close by – even if it's at the other end of the telephone – so you can talk through how you're feeling if you need to.\"ADNFCR-2867-ID-801827920-ADNFCR\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bonfire night is tomorrow (Saturday November, 5th) and can be a difficult event for veterans, especially those suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Even if you don’t go out to your local bonfire, people in your area are still likely to be letting of fireworks throughout the evening and for the next week. All the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"Bonfire night is tomorrow (Saturday November, 5th) and can be a difficult event for veterans, especially those suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Even if you don't go out to ... "},"author":1,"featured_media":3408,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nBonfire night advice for veterans - Forces Penpals GB<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/news\/bonfire-night-advice-for-veterans\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bonfire night advice for veterans - Forces Penpals GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Bonfire night is tomorrow (Saturday November, 5th) and can be a difficult event for veterans, especially those suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Even if you don't go out to your local bonfire, people in your area are still likely to be letting of fireworks throughout the evening and for the next week. All the […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/news\/bonfire-night-advice-for-veterans\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Forces Penpals GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-11-04T14:51:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Forces Penpals\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Forces Penpals\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/news\/bonfire-night-advice-for-veterans\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/news\/bonfire-night-advice-for-veterans\/\",\"name\":\"Bonfire night advice for veterans - Forces Penpals GB\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2016-11-04T14:51:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-11-04T14:51:03+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/#\/schema\/person\/838421ba314559f45d1a97df988b553c\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/news\/bonfire-night-advice-for-veterans\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/news\/bonfire-night-advice-for-veterans\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/news\/bonfire-night-advice-for-veterans\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Bonfire night advice for veterans\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/\",\"name\":\"Forces Penpals GB\",\"description\":\"armed forces penpals, military dating and support for military personnel\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/#\/schema\/person\/838421ba314559f45d1a97df988b553c\",\"name\":\"Forces Penpals\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/94195f264eb586a9ecca2ce040bacb9c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/94195f264eb586a9ecca2ce040bacb9c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Forces Penpals\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.forcespenpals.co.uk\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/news\/author\/news\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Bonfire night advice for veterans - Forces Penpals GB","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/news\/bonfire-night-advice-for-veterans\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Bonfire night advice for veterans - Forces Penpals GB","og_description":"Bonfire night is tomorrow (Saturday November, 5th) and can be a difficult event for veterans, especially those suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Even if you don't go out to your local bonfire, people in your area are still likely to be letting of fireworks throughout the evening and for the next week. All the […]","og_url":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/news\/bonfire-night-advice-for-veterans\/","og_site_name":"Forces Penpals GB","article_published_time":"2016-11-04T14:51:03+00:00","author":"Forces Penpals","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Forces Penpals","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/news\/bonfire-night-advice-for-veterans\/","url":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/news\/bonfire-night-advice-for-veterans\/","name":"Bonfire night advice for veterans - Forces Penpals GB","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/#website"},"datePublished":"2016-11-04T14:51:03+00:00","dateModified":"2016-11-04T14:51:03+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/#\/schema\/person\/838421ba314559f45d1a97df988b553c"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/news\/bonfire-night-advice-for-veterans\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/news\/bonfire-night-advice-for-veterans\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/news\/bonfire-night-advice-for-veterans\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Bonfire night advice for veterans"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/#website","url":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/","name":"Forces Penpals GB","description":"armed forces penpals, military dating and support for military personnel","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/#\/schema\/person\/838421ba314559f45d1a97df988b553c","name":"Forces Penpals","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/94195f264eb586a9ecca2ce040bacb9c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/94195f264eb586a9ecca2ce040bacb9c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Forces Penpals"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.forcespenpals.co.uk"],"url":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/news\/author\/news\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3057,"url":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/news\/rise-in-number-of-military-veterans-seeking-help-for-ptsd\/","url_meta":{"origin":3285,"position":0},"title":"Rise in number of military veterans seeking help for PTSD","author":"Forces Penpals","date":"April 7, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"An increasing number of veterans are seeking help for combat stress.","rel":"","context":"In "Support Soldiers"","block_context":{"text":"Support Soldiers","link":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/news\/category\/support-soldiers\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3215,"url":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/news\/h4h-launch-plea-to-be-aware-of-veterans-experiencing-trauma-from-fireworks\/","url_meta":{"origin":3285,"position":1},"title":"H4H launch plea to be aware of veterans experiencing trauma from fireworks","author":"Forces Penpals","date":"November 5, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"For those veterans suffering with PTSD, the days around Bonfire Night can be an extremely traumatising time. The sound of fireworks being let off can trigger their symptoms so what can we do as friends and family to be aware and help those around us? For veteran Ken Nash, 39,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Support Soldiers"","block_context":{"text":"Support Soldiers","link":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/news\/category\/support-soldiers\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3318,"url":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/news\/combat-stress-ptsd-treatment-offers-continued-results-for-veterans\/","url_meta":{"origin":3285,"position":2},"title":"Combat Stress PTSD treatment offers continued results for veterans","author":"Forces Penpals","date":"December 18, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Intensive PTSD treatment continues to reduce symptoms a year later","rel":"","context":"In "Support Soldiers"","block_context":{"text":"Support Soldiers","link":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/news\/category\/support-soldiers\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3244,"url":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/news\/gps-need-to-improve-awareness-of-ptsd-among-veterans-says-charity\/","url_meta":{"origin":3285,"position":3},"title":"GPs ‘need to improve awareness of PTSD among veterans’, says charity","author":"Forces Penpals","date":"September 6, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Combat Stress has highlighted gaps in GPs' knowledge concerning veteran mental health","rel":"","context":"In "Support Soldiers"","block_context":{"text":"Support Soldiers","link":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/news\/category\/support-soldiers\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3274,"url":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/news\/mental-health-nurse-presented-prestigious-award-for-work-with-veterans\/","url_meta":{"origin":3285,"position":4},"title":"Mental health nurse presented prestigious award for work with veterans","author":"Forces Penpals","date":"October 25, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Dave Marsden has been given an award for his work with veterans with substance abuse issues","rel":"","context":"In "Support Soldiers"","block_context":{"text":"Support Soldiers","link":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/news\/category\/support-soldiers\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3264,"url":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/news\/what-is-ptsd\/","url_meta":{"origin":3285,"position":5},"title":"What is PTSD?","author":"Forces Penpals","date":"October 14, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"We all seem to have heard of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but many of us will be lucky enough never to experience it. This can mean that it's quite hard for us to fully appreciate what it is and how it can affect people.While PTSD affects people in different ways,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Support Soldiers"","block_context":{"text":"Support Soldiers","link":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/news\/category\/support-soldiers\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"comment_count":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3285"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3285"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3285\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3408"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forcespenpals.net\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}