This is due to my conditions that I really cannot control. Stress and anxiety just adds a nice cherry on top. I know I’ve been a problem. In my own brain.
The fact that everybody in my house is giving me grief, just seals it.
I’m at dialysis at the moment. Getting those toxins out will help some.
But, dammit, Ivy told the psychologist on staff about my insanity.
She checked me by asking questions. Apparently I’m not really insane. My personal biology makes me prone to this. Anxiety breeds more anxiety, whatever the cause.
She gave me instruction on breathing to calm yourself. If Ivy says, one time “Just breathe” I may lose my good manners. Just once, girl!
I agree deep breathing can be beneficial and calming. I’m cool with it and will practice it.
But she also gave me a simple excercise to “reset my nervous system” Huh? You can do that?
You sit up straight. Turn your head sharply to the left. Hold it up to 3 minutes. Or until you yawn.
I most definitely yawned. Didn’t feel much else.
Personally I think it was reducing my O² levels or restricting my blood flow into my head.
There’s a podcast I like called ‘Disordered’. It’s run by these two psychiatrists who specialise in anxiety treatment. They’ve released about 130 episodes so there’s guaranteed to be at least one or two that you find helpful.
There’s an exercise I use when I feel a panic attack starting. It’s called box-breathing. You breathe in slowly for four seconds, hold it for four seconds, slowly exhale for four seconds, wait for four seconds, and then start over. It helps regulate the amount of oxygen and CO2 in your blood so you don’t feel suffocated and hyperventilate. It also activates the parasympathetic nervous system which helps keep you calm. Personally, I find it’s even more effective if you exhale for eight seconds, not four, but keep everything else the same.
There’s a herbal supplement I use called Silexan. It’s a lavender preparation from a specific form of lavender plant. Unlike most herbal treatments, Silexan actually has some pretty solid evidence behind it. It seems to work in a similar way to standard SSRI antidepressants. However, unlike anti-depressants, it has almost no side-effects and there are no withdrawal symptoms if you decide to stop them. An SSRI would likely be more effective, but Silexan’s effect is comparable to a low-dose SSRI, so it may be all you need. I don’t know if they’d be suitable if you’re on dialysis though. Best to check that with your doctor.
Yes..I excercise regularly. I walk the mornings I don’t have dialysis and use my walky thingy in the house. And I have a ballet stretching routine I do every day.
Walks can be stressful events out in the woods. We try to keep it simple and quick this time of year.
Yeah, I imagine it’s getting a bit chilly for wandering these days.
My mom had a suggestion for resolving stress. She suggested doing it in a car, while alone, but you can possibly improvise.
What you do is, you yell “woogie” as loud and as forcefully as you can. It might take a few times, but I do find it helps me.
I also like to pretend I’m confronting my stressor, and I yell at it in my toughest voice, “ok cootie Queen, just who do you think you are, you lint licker.”
(For serious panic attacks, the best I can offer is the old recommendation of grounding yourself in your senses. What can you see? What can you hear? What can you smell? What can you touch? Moving your focus outside your body is the goal)
I’ve had some success listening to EMDR playlists that play soothing music or soundscapes that are encoded with alternating left/right balance and volume changes. It’s like a massage for your brain. You do need to use headphones or ear buds for the bilateral effect. EMDR playlists are available from several music streaming platforms; I use Amazon Music:
This is an evidence-based ACT therapy technique called defusion, where you separate yourself from your thoughts or your affliction in absurd ways. I’m a fan.
My defusion technique is to imagine my thoughts are being sung by the singing vegetables on the Muppet show.
I have found that it helps to distract myself with some activity (however odd).
For years I used to pick dust out of random places at home or work/school when I was anxious. That mindless pursuit magically calmed me down. I can’t physically manage this kind of activity anymore as it usually involves a lot bending and reaching.
My distractions have evolved over time and vary depending where I am.
Word search puzzles when traveling, organizing my sock drawer at home, learning a simple song in another language, and writing out the alphabet with my non dominant hand at work during staff meetings are a few examples of distraction I use.
I have anxiety meds but only take them when the inner rumblings reach a crescendo.
Listening to You Tube ASMR people tap on shoes, purses and boxes is often calming for me although those channels can sometimes become aggravating. A simple, rhythmic tapping is best for me. It helps me to disconnect from the catastrophic thoughts that frequently populate my days and nights.
My usual way of dealing with stress is to play a video game. Something that engages my attention enough that I simply forget to think about whatever is stressing me.
