Single Tasking

[blackemerald1]

@Kubash16 - write down here what you would really like to do as a exercise, as a hobby, as a one off adventure.

I'll give you a clue... I love floating facing down or up in a calm pool of water and forcing my mind to control my breathing and also stay afloat.. Soo extremely weird... I know... but I have to be right in that moment or I don't get to float and feel that freeeee feeling... which feels great! :) That's me though - you chose..... :)

 

[Kubash16]

@Kubash16 - write down here what you would really like to do as a exercise, as a hobby, as a one off adventure.

I'll give you a clue... I love floating facing down or up in a calm pool of water and forcing my mind to control my breathing and also stay afloat.. Soo extremely weird... I know... but I have to be right in that moment or I don't get to float and feel that freeeee feeling... which feels great! :) That's me though - you chose..... :)

Oy. I will have to do some brainstorming. Everything I can think of off the top of my head let’s my brain be free to fly lol. I am really tired, so I will come back to this tomorrow after some serious brainstorming.

 

[MyWillow]

So to keep the ideas flowing, today I did my usual 8am Pilates class (with a physio - it’s rehab and fitness) but, instead of smashing myself like usual I acknowledged that I was a) weary and b) sore from a remedial massage. So I paced myself. This is like WOW new for me. There are 3 much older retired folk in the class and I have been doing Pilates with one of them for about 2 years. So instead of dashing off home to “do stuff” because yeah I’m on leave lol I ended up going for a nice walk with him and then we had coffee and cake at the bakery. Holy crap but that was novel for me. I had to fight every instinct to race home and get 1000 things done. It was nice. I came home and trained the dogs. Now I’m just having a break from the garden. I feel as though I’m gathering strength to deal with all the other shit.

Most importantly though... you will fail. Repeatedly. The trick as I said is to acknowledge it and make a choice, if you feel able, to shift your attention back to the present moment. Without judgment.

 

[Kubash16]

So to keep the ideas flowing, today I did my usual 8am Pilates class (with a physio - it’s rehab and fitness) but, instead of smashing myself like usual I acknowledged that I was a) weary and b) sore from a remedial massage. So I paced myself. This is like WOW new for me. There are 3 much older retired folk in the class and I have been doing Pilates with one of them for about 2 years. So instead of dashing off home to “do stuff” because yeah I’m on leave lol I ended up going for a nice walk with him and then we had coffee and cake at the bakery. Holy crap but that was novel for me. I had to fight every instinct to race home and get 1000 things done. It was nice. I came home and trained the dogs. Now I’m just having a break from the garden. I feel as though I’m gathering strength to deal with all the other shit.

Most importantly though... you will fail. Repeatedly. The trick as I said is to acknowledge it and make a choice, if you feel able, to shift your attention back to the present moment. Without judgment.

So I’m thinking I’m gonna start with a small list and expand later:

TS yoga
*maybe* a massage while I focus on breathing but don’t know if I can handle touch like that yet.
Gardening-though I kill everything and it’s winter
Pyrography
Photography
Hiking

We shall see how this goes.

 

[MyWillow]

I like it.

I often find that focussing on breathing makes me panic like all get out. Sometimes just noticing it without judgement is my best approach.

Let us know how you get on. And remember, baby steps ok? ;)

 

[Changing4Best]

I crochet. My mind might wander a bit, but it is usually the only thing I do when I am doing it. Usually it pretty well keeps my mind focused. I hear that knitting is the same way. Both are calming activities. Men and women can do them too, not just women as in the old days.

Reading is another activity that I do in and of itself. When I read, I bury my mind into what I am reading and my mind rarely wanders much. If I do find that my mind is wandering, then I either have probably misunderstood something I was reading or disagree with it. In the first case, I pull out the dictionary, in the second, I toss the book in garbage! Usually I know well enough what I like to read, though, that I don't end up throwing it in the garbage. I love to read memoirs. Nothing like real life to absorb one's thoughts completely.

 

[Kubash16]

I crochet. My mind might wander a bit, but it is usually the only thing I do when I am doing it. Usually it pretty well keeps my mind focused. I hear that knitting is the same way. Both are calming activities. Men and women can do them too, not just women as in the old days.

Reading is another activity that I do in and of itself. When I read, I bury my mind into what I am reading and my mind rarely wanders much. If I do find that my mind is wandering, then I either have probably misunderstood something I was reading or disagree with it. In the first case, I pull out the dictionary, in the second, I toss the book in garbage! Usually I know well enough what I like to read, though, that I don't end up throwing it in the garbage. I love to read memoirs. Nothing like real life to absorb one's thoughts completely.

Usually I’m a huge reader. To the point the outside world ceases to exist and when I’m forced back into the outside world the books follow me into daily massive daydreams. But the last few weeks I can’t seem to read at all. I can’t focus enough to absorb a single paragraph and have to read it several times and just flat out can’t focus.

 

[MyWillow]

Usually I’m a huge reader. To the point the outside world ceases to exist and when I’m forced back into the outside world the books follow me into daily massive daydreams. But the last few weeks I can’t seem to read at all. I can’t focus enough to absorb a single paragraph and have to read it several times and just flat out can’t focus.

Ah yes, I can relate to this. For the past 18 months. Even my absolute favourites. Sticking with audio books at the moment and occasionally a short story.

 

[Kubash16]

Ah yes, I can relate to this. For the past 18 months. Even my absolute favourites. Sticking with audio books at the moment and occasionally a short story.

It’s like my brain broke lol.

 

[MyWillow]

It’s like my brain broke lol.

Yeah I know right! I just can’t keep up. My psydoc assures me that I will be able to in time. My equine T wryly notes that the rest of the world is screwed if, by my standards, my life is “on hold” ;)

 

[blackemerald1]

Reading became a really big problem for me when I was deeply symptomatic but I am okay with it now. I don't think I am as good with concentrating as I once was however.

Sometimes I will read for a while and 'come back' and not know what I have read. I have to turn back a few pages or more and pick up where I dropped off into dissociation or daydreaming.

Everything takes practice and then some...

 

[Kubash16]

Reading became a really big problem for me when I was deeply symptomatic but I am okay with it now. I don't think I am as good with concentrating as I once was however.

Sometimes I will read for a while and 'come back' and not know what I have read. I have to turn back a few pages or more and pick up where I dropped off into dissociation or daydreaming.

Everything takes practice and then some...

That actually makes a lot of sense. When I started struggling with reading is when we started diving deep into CSA stuff in therapy.