Off Hamster Wheel: How Did You Lower Some Stressors?

[Recovery4Me]

How many times do you feel that you changed or lowered a stressor during your time/years on the board?

Reason I ask is that I am trying to grasp if I have altered some of my behaviors that I can change -or- if my situations being resolved somewhat just allowed the patterns again dressed in another environment to go undetected? And then, I am not even clear if it boils down to learning from my mistakes or having a disability that may be predisposed to eclipsing linear healthy cognitive thinking. I am sorting...:cautious:

So...has anyone noticed their incremental successes on getting off the hamster wheel of their personal PTSD loop? What did you attribute your positive changes to- perseverance, CBT or DBT, healthy reflective thinking, therapy modality, meds, meditation, trial or error or something else? No I am not taking a survey...just reaching out to the community because I feel like I am missing something in the big picture. I want off my wheel...you know?

My T is good: but peers who have walked the walk...know the real deal!


Help free this hamster! :clown:

Thanks for any feedback on your take of your own journey.:tup:

 

[Anrish]

Maybe that carrot? :p:cool: Uhm, sorry....serious topic.

I can relate to it. ...habits are habits - whether they are due to PTSD or not and it's hard for everyone to break habits. What helps me to get out of the hamster wheel (I'm in it during work most of the time) is taking a break with Yoga.

It also helps to focus on tiny things, which make some routine (at first sight) special. Like I was running my usual path through the woods last week but I saw a black woodpecker. :wideeyed: ...makes it special.

One of the most important aspects is that you already realize that you're running in the hamster wheel, realising....taking a short break, look for something else to do (some distraction) and move on. You will always come back to old habits - the most important thing is that you realize and work with them. :hug:

 

[Ronin]

Carrots.

And stubborness.

Thought of what gets me to lower stressors, and it's all mindfulness & stubborness. Plain stubborn leads to me crashing my head against a wall, plain mindful leads to me getting all meditative and philosophical and not getting that work done because the world's beautiful, why do trauma work and remind myself everything isn't full of lessons, but contains shit ;) Balance of the two works better.

With a lot of carrots along the way just to keep me going.

 

[Recovery4Me]

Maybe that carrot? :p:cool: Uhm, sorry....serious topic.

Xx Oo to you and yours :tup:

and then ...

Carrots.

Thank you both my friends for your responses :hug::hug: There are many solid bite size pieces to chew on!:notworthy: Yet CARROTS seem perhaps a serious subject (as well dear @Anrish ) !

So might @Cashew & @Anrish plus anyone else that feels inclined... describe the carrots or self soothers that seem to assist as well ?

Routines or simple pleasures:
1) Exercise in a special theme for self
2) Mindfulness to balance

Did I get the drifts thus far? :shy: If not please correct:hug:

 

[Ronin]

Someone kicking my ass who isn't kicking /me/ in the process.

Totally carrot and totally yummy.

In all seriousness, too: People that hope in me very much, base that in realism, have expectations but don't have demands and definitely don't have Urgent Demands Do It Now (unless it's reasonable and I'm somehow spectacularly missing the urgency) and know when to toss something about total basics (it's okay to cry, yo!) at me, without making me feel like a complete idiot.

 

[shimmerz]

perseverance, CBT or DBT, healthy reflective thinking, therapy modality, meds, meditation, trial or error or something else

Mainly all of the above. I haven't done CBT in a therapy setti for a very long time BUT my head processes stuff differently. I don't have as much survival stuff going on so I can tune in to what I have learned these past 10 years.

Also, just the knowledge that IF I screw up when I am trying something new, I know that I have a group of people that I can be totally honest with (you guys), throw a question out there, and I will get honest feedback from others who have a frame of reference for the issue due to their own circumstances. I can't really talk to 'regular friends' about why I wander out in the night and hide in ditches, you know? There is something special here because even if this crowd doesn't DO IT, they most likely GET IT on some level. And that is like a big huge security blanket for me.

I am certain that once you don't need to focus so much on the survival stuff that you will notice how much you have learned. Bloomed even. I mean, I haven't noticed a ton of difference in how wise you have become, mainly because I have thought you were brilliantly wise all the way along. You can't fix perfect right? :hug:;)

 

[ghotiff]

There is something special here because even if this crowd doesn't DO IT, they most likely GET IT on some level. And that is like a big huge security blanket for me

For me having this board has helped me more I think than my T. Knowing that if something goes wrong, that I have somewhere to reach out, somewhere supportive and helpful. This allows me to try new approaches, to risk a little more as there is a safety net full of people who "get it".

 

[Recovery4Me]

Someone kicking my ass who isn't kicking /me/ in the process.

More motivational and less critical -is this what you mean? :hug:

There is something special here because even if this crowd doesn't DO IT, they most likely GET IT on some level

Shim, I honestly have watched you process in public threads and seen that you have found a few answers that worked for you!:tup: I think you are part of the reason, I came forward to ask. Oh,:shy: and goodness you are kind to me and so many.:joyful::hug::hug::) I really am glad you posted...thanks.

allows me to try new approaches, to risk a little more as there is a safety net full of people who "get it".

Have you lowered any stressors with the additional support here that you might care to share? If too private I understand.:hug: Thanks for your input btw.:hug:

Like I was running my usual path through the woods last week but I saw a black woodpecker. :wideeyed: ...makes it special.

That is very true connecting with the ground and Mother Nature can be very comforting. Do you run regularly and does this seem to assist? Routines... yes, I can see where they might offer a form of comfort and security. Thanks for being you.:hug: Ps luv the pix of the carrot!!!!

 

[Recovery4Me]

I am certain that once you don't need to focus so much on the survival stuff that you will notice how much you have learned.

Shim...((((hugs)))) Maybe you are right. I need to accept survival has been a constant theme for a bit. I almost hid this remark in your diary and then decided to be a little more fierce. :woot: Like boxes... I can handle seeing all my stuff sitting in boxes coming or going, better now...thanks to you.

*Edited: found Anthony's thread:

https://www.myptsd.com/threads/stressor-vs-trigger-what-is-a-trigger.9903/


"A trigger is a symptomatic reaction from one of the five senses (sight, sound, touch, taste and smell) based only upon a direct connection to an actual traumatic event experienced." https://www.myptsd.com/threads/stressor-vs-trigger-what-is-a-trigger.9903/

" A stressor is something that creates an increase in adrenaline that then triggers your internal stress response mechanism... A buildup of negative emotion which peaks to a response, usually anger." https://www.myptsd.com/threads/stressor-vs-trigger-what-is-a-trigger.9903/

"Now, the most common reaction to a trigger is a panic attack or increase in stress. The most common reaction to a stressor is a panic attack or increase in stress." https://www.myptsd.com/threads/stressor-vs-trigger-what-is-a-trigger.9903/

 

[ghotiff]

Have you lowered any stressors with the additional support here that you might care to share?

I think the biggest ones is that I have learnt to self soothe, that it's okay to self soothe and that it is beneficial to self soothe.

For me self soothing is to do nothing, literally. If I'm really overwhelmed I'll go to bed and just lie there. I use boredom as the cue to add something in, specifically boredom. I lie there thinking of all the things I "should" be doing, but I ignore that, I wait until I'm bored. Then I might read or watch TV until I'm "bored" of that.

I used to feel intensely guilty for not pushing myself to do more but through the support here and reading so many threads I've learnt that's it's okay to do nothing. I certainly have to do some things (eg look after my kids) but I also have the right to do "nothing" if that helps me and I don't haven't to justify to the 3D world why.

What is fascinating to me is that now I've learnt that if I do this early, it doesn't take that long and I come back really motivated.

Hope that helps.

 

[The Albatross]

Identify your stressors, assess your stressors... Eliminate them, reduce them or learn how to cope with them. I just wrote about that today. Me and Spock have it in our diaries.

Frankly I was a bit surprised at the number/type of stressors.

 

[Recovery4Me]

@ghotiff (((hugs))) It helps very much thank you. Your explanation is something that I have been attempting to do and became stressed over it. lol So double thanks.:notworthy::tup: I think I will talk to my T too about it.