Need strategies to calm down physically (not emotionally) after a flashback

[Sweet_E]

Would love some brainstorming ideas.

A couple weeks ago I was having some severe flashbacks. I was able to use my typical techniques to calm down emotionally. However, I was feeling so amped up physically - like I could run a marathon. Unfortunately, due to some health issues, I'm not at the point where I am physically able to go running on a regular basis. So it was tough to get my body to calm down through exercise. I did some brisk walking for an hour or so while there was still daylight, but it barely helped.

What do you guys do when you physically feel amped - like you can feel the adrenaline and cortisol pulsing through your body but it's almost bed time!? Yet, you're not feeling terribly bad emotionally - it's just the physical aftermath of a flashback that you already processed through?

Is there a medication that can be taken on an as needed basis? Does medical marijuana help with this? (I see my psychiatrist tomorrow who is able to provide a license).

Is there a form of exercise that has worked for you? I hate swimming in a chlorinated pool but I might give it a try. Now that my health is a little better, I may try to start ramping up to go running.

How long does it usually take you to calm the body down?

 

[MyWillow]

Something my psydoc encourages me to do when I dissociate in session is to wrap my arms around myself in a hug after I come out of it, stroke my arms like I would my cat, and reassure myself that I’m ok, I’m safe. I’ve started doing it when I wake multiple times from nightmares and it does help calm that physical response.

Sorry you are experiencing that.

 

[grit]

I hope the doctor helps you tomorrow. I would think (I could be wrong here) that after you take care of the emotional aspect of calming, the physical would follow. You may need full check up on this by a professional.

 

[Justmehere]

Try seeking safe strong sensations. Like holding ice, eating spicy foods, smelling mint, cold shower.

The idea is that the adrenaline, the fight or flight, is a sign your body/brain are still in the past, and the strong sensations zap the nervous system back to the here and now.

Another thing that helps me ground, especially when I was getting through a time when I couldn’t exercise, was doing something that took ALL my focus. Like bouncing a ball against the wall and counting backwards from 500 by 7 with every throw.

 

[MyWillow]

Crunching ice is also awesome. Normally it’s like nails down a blackboard but incredibly grounding when the time is right.

 

[Esterio]

I am a person with disabilities so most vigorous exercise is out. So when my symptoms turn physical I get a cold pack from the freezer and wrap it in a cloth, sit in my recliner and put the pack over my eyes and lay back and try to let it all go. It calms my Breathing,heart rate and my nerves. I also use a cannabis tincture that is a balanced strain THC_CBD's. If my brain still won't shut down I turn on heavy metal music as loud as I can. That works to shut down a racing brain for me.
Hope this helps.
Peace be safe
Esterio

 

[EveHarrington]

Ativan helps me. I use it for this purpose.

 

[user27357]

after learning through bio feedback i am sometimes able to better calm my physical reactions to stress.

Basically, I start with an assesment of what I am feeling all over, then go into the specifics of what I am feeling at randomly picked parts of my body, the more minute the area and the more sensations I can list the better.
example:
Assess-
I am tired from a days work and amped up from the mental stimulus of a night out. I feel tired, i feel some pain in my feet, I feel my jaw tense from keeping a happy face on, I feel my forehead and neck muscles ache from being kept in constant tension. OK, next step.
Minutia-
I pick the inside right of my second in from the left toe on my left foot. A little perspiration, clamminess. i feel contact with the next toe. the muscles are relaxing, taking advantage of being off my feet. I can feel the sock or the sheets on it, if i open and close the gap. I can feel the nail drag across the fabric, I can maybe feel a breeze, it's slightly cooler than my toe, on and on until the list is exhausted, then reassess the overall body.

still tense? the inside of my right knee, right where the calf recedes. reassess. repeat. I try to pick at random, away from a body part that showed up on the big picture assessment. I try not to go back to a part I have recently used.

It takes my mind off of the physical state by going into Waaaay too much detail on my physical state, kind of like not thinking about polka dotted alligators by thinking in depth and detail about polka dots. When it works i have no memory of what I was thinking about when I wake up.

It works, except when it doesn't. I learned it with the help of a specialist and a biofeedback machine, otherwise i might have thought it was hog wash and given up before I found out it works, except when it doesn't.

 

[Strangelongtrip]

I wouldn’t recommend smoking cannabis while in this state, it helps some people but it can also make you more paranoid, especially high THC strands. Depends on how you react to it though and each strain! I like a 50/50 THC CBD tincture, it relaxes me but I don’t react to it the way I do to just THC. Each person is different!

I like a cold drink and something with dairy in it. I don’t know if you have dietary restrictions but for some reason when I’m “amped up” a piece of cold cheese or a milkshake or a bowl of ice cream especially helps settle me.

 

[Nessa7]

I use brisk walks, but I don't try to walk all of the energy out. There's a church with a meditation area located conveniently to where I like having panic attacks. I'll take a brisk walk there. I'll do a few quick circles around the yard. Then, I'll start going gradually slower. If I can't concentrate enough to focus on my pace, I'll speed up again and try reducing my speed after a few more laps. Once I'm walking slowly, I'll sit and try some grounding exercises or do some puzzles on my phone.

 

[Abstract]

Thank you so much for posting this @Sweet_E. Very helpful for me. I hope it helps you.

 

[Sweet_E]

Try seeking safe strong sensations. Like holding ice, eating spicy foods, smelling mint, cold shower...

wow, bouncing the ball is an interesting idea.

Not that this is related, but maybe hula hooping would help. I love to hula hoop and have been trying to learn some tricks.

I did go to the psychiatrist and he prescribed atavin - I would only use it in a pinch - like under some extenuating circumstance where my body is not responding to my typical grounding techniques.