It's That Time Of Day!

[Adrienne12]

Reading your posts Alba are like out of a book. You are a smart chic!!

I'm glad I made somebody smile today,Kaz.

 

[Deleted member 8931]

I agree, Adrienne, Albatross is very profound and prolific. I have let myself go in so many more ways than mentally and emotionally. I have gained weight instead of losing it since the open-heart surgery, quit smoking and started it all over again only to find out that I've now caused damage to my heart and one lung per my cardiologist in March, I hate washing my hair and bathe only because I have to. I used to enjoy manis and pedis. I used enjoy wearing make up. Now it's a chore for me to even comb my hair. Don't even ask about my legs and not having shaved them because you really don't want to know. Suffice to say that I'm lucky in that my legs never really did have any huge hair growth. Otherwise, it would take John Deere to handle that situation. Ugh.

 

[Deleted member 8931]

Albatross, it really is so nice to know this forum exists. At the risk of sounding selfish, (remember, I am a people pleaser so I tend to make apologies) it's even nicer that I took the time to Google "PTSD forums" and happened upon this one! I am happy that I am making the steps necessary to help me, if nothing else, stop allowing my emotions to define me! You and Adrienne are exactly where I long to be. I know logically that the potential for panic attacks and raging will always be a part of who I am as much as I hate them, yet I still allow them to control me. However, at this particular moment, I feel so much better for having talked about this on here. AND, I am happy to know that I was able to give you some insight as your statement "For instance, until responding to you I never consciously acknowledged my diffucilties with Sunday afternoon/evenings" makes me feel worthy of having helped someone else who knows exactly what I am talking about. It's good to know you made that connection.

I am proud to say that I have at least figured out one of my triggers, two if you count the twilight time of day because I never lended much credo to this very situation until this evening. I have so many interests that make me feel alive like music, crafting, cooking, baking, spending time with my grandson when he's here. I used to enjoy playing cards with my husband. So many things that I want to do again...

 

[The Albatross]

Reading your posts Alba are like out of a book. You are a smart chic!!.

No, no no... I got a long time with this... I'm fixing to be 51 this month. The benefit of each decade is mini epathanies... it's just another self check. There was a book a long time ago about ten basic rules "we forgot" when we decided to experience a physical body and life.

I subscribe to this... and acknowledge that my birth and parentage is a starting place, where I wind up is up to me. How can you give something you haven't got? I learned I will always run out, run down, and become empty and depressed. There are fundamental basic things I had to find that are as necessary to my life as breath, food, water... I just make it happen. Yeah, I still run down or run out, but for the most part it's better than where I started. And I've learned that if I come from a place where I can edify, esteem, and care for my "self"... I got more for everybody else.

 

[RosieNorth]

Hi Kaz, just read your post and can tell you that since the age of about 8 or 10 I've been bothered by flashbacks and dissociation at around 4 p.m. They did stop for a period of about 20 years but started again after more recent traumas. I think it's the feeling of night coming, when my father would come home and bad things would happen. Now if I can I just let myself feel without being, or trying not to be, afraid.

 

[Ted Moen]

I had late afternoon/early evening intense feelings including very high levels of anxious apprehension and panic attacks for years, probably most of my working life. I no longer have them, but I have been retired (medically for PTSD) for 10 years now. The way I came to understand that characteristic of my PTSD was that PTSD can involve damage to the flight, fight or freeze system all people are hard wired for. In people with a healthy flight, fight or freeze system they might be startled or have a feeling of danger which triggers a physical response that includes an increase of adrenalin to prepare them for doing what they need to do to survive. Once they realize there is no real danger, or the danger passes their system produces cortisol to counter the adrenaline and return them to normal. In some people with PTSD the danger was so serious for so long that their system was overwhelmed, resulting in brain damage and a reduced ability to produce cortisol. So for a person with a damaged fight, flight or freeze system as a normal day progresses and stressors happen triggering the production of adrenalin it just builds and builds generating increasing levels of apprehension and susceptability to panic attacks.

Perhaps one of the best strategies to counter this is exercise. While I was working I generally exercised 2-3 hours a day, 1-2 hours in the morning and .5-1 hour mid-day. It helped. Mindfulness training helps. Most of all, managing a low stress environment helps the most but that can be impractical if you're not retired.

Ted