Anyone else still feel emotionally flat years after leaving the Army?
I’ve been out of the Army for about 18 years. I was infantry and did two Iraq deployments (2004–2005 and 2007–2008).
Lately I’ve been thinking about how different I feel compared to when I was younger. I don’t seem to get that adrenaline rush anymore. Things that used to get my heart pumping or make me feel intensely alive just don’t seem to hit the same way.
I also still deal with a lot of emotional numbness/flat affect. It’s not necessarily that I’m constantly sad—it’s more like I just don’t feel things as strongly as I used to.
For those of you who were infantry or deployed, especially those who have been out for 15–20+ years: have you experienced something similar? Did the adrenaline rush eventually come back, or did you just learn to live with feeling more emotionally flat?