[Adam]

I know what you're going through... I had PTSD after Sept 11th, 2001, while I was in the military. (I'm sure that you're really tired of seeing that acronym by now... It's not a description of a problem, it's a label so that people in power don't have to deal with individuals.) Obviously, mine was minor, since I wasn't in direct combat, but I still understand.

What you need to do to get back to 'normal' will take time... You have a lot of habits that you developed while you were over there, and you lived under a constant blanket of fear for a year. It will take some time to work through them, so if things seem like they're going slowly, don't worry.

First, recognize that you are the only person who can affect your emotions. Just making that realization is probably the most depressing thing that you can do... You're putting yourself into your bad moods, and that isn't very good news, now is it?

Fortunately, the next step is to realize the other side of that same coin... Since you're able to put yourself in bad moods, you're also able to put yourself in a good mood. You have a power that nobody else has. Sure, technology can move mountains and destroy cities, but only you have the power to change your mood... and when people realize that, it is an awe-inspiring power indeed.

It takes practice to change your mood, though. First, just concentrate on figuring out what makes your mood change... Spend a month watching your emotions and try to figure out what happened that you allowed to change your mood. Once you have that down, start experimenting... Instead of letting your adrenaline get the better of you when you're surprised, calm yourself down... Inject a moment of pure logic and reason between outside stimulus and your response.

Obviously, this isn't very handy on the battlefield, because you have to pause, hesitate again, decide which emotion to use, then execute... but once you get the hang of it, choosing a different emotion becomes your default habit, and comes as quickly as jumping in and out of foxholes.