Staring At The Ceiling And Trying To Cope

[Justmehere]

I had surgery on my leg last week. I don't want to get into what they did and all that right now.

I am super triggered. I need to lie down to take care of my leg. I am in a panic and my go-to coping skills are not an option while laying on my back stuck in a medical contraption for my leg. I have to prioritize my physical health. I'm triggered by home health and everyone and everything medical right now.

I am drugged. The doc said I had to take the pain and muscle relaxants tonight and they cause triggery feelings and make it hard to think.

Can anyone here help me think of other coping tools I can do with nothing but my brain and my smart phone (I can't get up and get anything for awhile) in addition to deep breathing to manage really intense anxiety?

I'm trying a game and silly YouTube videos but my attention is crap and distraction alone doesn't seem to help.

 

[Deleted member 38242]

Youtube has great guided meditations that help me. My last surgery I blacked out on, and off and got horrible flashbacks. I am so sorry as I know how hard it can be just laying around left inside the mind. Drawing, or coloring is supposed to be therapeutic, but when I'm on pain meds I get kind of ADD wiered, and tiered at the same time.
Best wishes, and just answering post here could help?

 

[ladee]

If the meds already have your head wonkey..look for things on youtube that are funny.
You can have a few seconds or minutes of distraction and that at least breaks up the thinking process.
Sorry you are going thru this.
Is someone there to help you?

 

[Tornadic Thoughts]

Sing at the top of your lungs, make percussion instruments out of whatever is within reach, scream into your pillow at least once a day, identify 3-5 sounds you hear in the moment and play along with them somehow someway for a little jam session, learn about acupressure points for anxiety, do some chanting on the exhale of your deep breathing exercises, like "om mani padme hum (loving kindness) or "ra-ma-da-sa-sa-say-so-hung" (universal healing), hand write a few letters to some special folks, or thank you notes to kind folks at places of business you've been impressed with, pamper yourself as best you can and as often as you can in whatever ways possible. Rinse and repeat. :) Best wishes for some swift healing and less intense feelings.

 

[sun seeker]

Are you looking for things you can do alone, or is there anyone with you?

 

[jaccat]

Audiobooks are a good distraction. I use them to try to sleep.

 

[Freedomfighter]

I had surgery on my leg last week. I don't want to get into what they did and all that right now....

Try to go to grounding videos that are also posted on Utube, those really help. Then try to go to some EMDR sessions on You Tube. Those really help me when I need to cope with this horrible condition.

Hope you feel better really soon

 

[Justmehere]

Hey all, so sorry I have been so slow to respond. I haven't really felt normal or kind of with it enough to feel very ok posting online very often just yet. Thanks for being patient with me. I was reading along as everyone was posting - and it's been super helpful. Thanks all! I'm going to quote every post, just to help me respond to them all in a clear way - please bear with me for my wordiness.

Youtube has great guided meditations that help me.

Great idea! I like this... I have been listening to long classical music selections on youtube. I found a couple combined with guided mediation.

Drawing, or coloring is supposed to be therapeutic, but when I'm on pain meds I get kind of ADD wiered, and tiered at the same time?

Drawing is another good idea! I usually find it to be therapeutic - but also used it to get through past trauma... I think I need to find something new to draw, or have new drawing implements, or something to make it new and not a reminder of when I was struggling in the past. I am also quite ADD when I am not able to exercise. OMG. It's so hard.

look for things on youtube that are funny.

Yes! I am finally starting to laugh again.

Is someone there to help you?

Sometimes, every now and then, but it's mixed. It's either a friend or a home health aid, and they are here for just short times.

Sing at the top of your lungs,

Are you looking for things you can do alone, or is there anyone with you?

Yeah, preferably things I can do alone. I can have someone help me get stuff out once a day, and then put it away later.

Audiobooks are a good distraction. I use them to try to sleep.

I like this idea! Any suggestions of good books? I have access to an online ebook library here. Maybe I'll email the librarian there and see if they have any good young adult stories (I'm not that young of an adult anymore, but I have found YA books easy to read when distractable.)

Then try to go to some EMDR sessions on You Tube.

This is a great idea! I know of a resourcing EMDR technique I could do with a video - going to go search now...

Hope you feel better really soon

Thank you, me too :)

 

[jaccat]

Yeah, I listen mostly to young adult and children's books- a mix of children's classics, favourites from my childhood, and the odd new book. I think it's important to play a bit to make sure you like the narrator. My favourites so far are a version of Alice in Wonderland, which is lovely to listen to, and a fantasy called Sabriel by Garth Nix, which is read by Tim Curry.