Difficult Day Coming Up; Symptoms Explode

[Mallaky]

So, I am not doing so great. I am terrified of next thursday, because it is gonna a be a very difficult day for me, connected to trauma and shit. I will have to talk about it, which I never do, and do stuff I would rather not do, and well, you get the picture.

The real problem is all my symptoms are blowing up. Hasn't been this bad for months. Can't even think clearly.
Wroting this has taken minutes.
Is this standard ptsd procedure? That damn day is still over a week away. Knowing its normal for ptsd would be very -don't know the word- calming.(?)
Any generell advice greatly appreciated.

 

[barefoot]

Definitely normal for me....if something challenging is on the horizon (especially if it's directly related to trauma) and I'm anxious about it, a whole bunch of PTSD symptoms will crank up. Night terrors, foggy brain, inability to concentrate, rumination, more hypervigilence, more intense boundary issues...

Is there anything you can do to help yourself prepare for it so that you can try to settle your system a bit and regulate yourself, which might leave you better placed for the event? I'm recently realising through my therapy that I often go into denial about things...so something will be coming up and I'll get fixed in a mode of 'this is fine, I'm fine, everything will be fine' and I don't really engage with the fact that it's not fine. So then the reality, when it comes, of it not being fine, hits me really hard and is a real shock. So I now try to work with my therapist on feeling prepared for this kind of stuff when they crop up - so we go through things in tiny detail, looking for where the biggest challenges will be, what will help, what to try to avoid etc. It used to feel very over the top to me that that's what my therapist wanted me to do. But it has really helped - and the times I don't properly plan things through to prepare - there's always negative fall out!

At the very least, I'd say that it would be beneficial to give yourself as easy a week as you can in the run up to the event. Prioritise self-care, work on calming your system down, cancel things you don't have to do (especially if they are stressful things), o back over any grounding stuff that has worked for you in the past.... If distractions are useful for you, put some distractions into your week, but make them nice things, not things that will cause anxiety spikes.

Sorry to hear you're struggling at the moment. But your rise is symptoms does sound completely understandable.

 

[Mallaky]

a whole bunch of PTSD symptoms will crank up. Night terrors, foggy brain, inability to concentrate, rumination, more hypervigilence, more intense boundary issues...

Thank you SO SO much! You described it perfectly.
I always found that the confusion about why I feel bad can make it 10 times worse.

I'll get fixed in a mode of 'this is fine, I'm fine, everything will be fine'

I am pretty much the oposite. Its hard/impossible for me to stop catastrophizing. I know its not fine. Its never gonna be fine. Nothing will ever be fine again. It's all over. Forever. *closes coffin lid*


I will now try to head your advice about calming down and distracting myself. I will overthink and overprepare anyway.
Thank you very much.

 

[Friday]

Yep. Stress cup filling up = more symptoms.

The trick is : more stress & stressors? The more we need to vent stress, and manage other stressors / lower the overall stress level. Easier said than done.

 

[Mallaky]

The trick is : more stress & stressors? The more we need to vent stress, and manage other stressors / lower the overall stress level. Easier said than done.

My panicky and foggy mind refuses to comprehend this. :dead: Can you translate it into stupid? Would be great. :hug:

 

[Friday]

The Ptsd Cup Explanation

Stress cup.

The more stress that goes into it? The worse we tend to get.

Big stressor (next Thursday) coming?

Lower stress.

Remove other stressors (socializing, projects, etc... Put them off until after Thursday), and do things that help manage stress (exercise, sleep, food, self care).

 

[barefoot]

Yes - try to do whatever you can to lower your general stress levels in a bid to try to counter the extra stress that next Thursday will bring.

Last week, I had a big stressor day - I knew it would be, so I planned my week around it to try to keep things from imploding! So, I kept work commitments light, I cancelled a social thing and I rescheduled a couple of appointments so that I didn't have to even think about them before the doom day. I also made sure I did my breathing exercises every day, I was more mindful about the stimulants I was consuming (caffeine/sugar) and I journaled more. I also gave myself permission to lie on the sofa and watch back-to-back Scandal one afternoon as a pleasant distraction to keep things calm :-)

 

[Panda Bear]

Is this standard PTSD procedure? That damn day is still over a week away. Knowing its normal for ptsd would be very -don't know the word- calming.(?)
Any gener

Hell yes! Personally, I have what has become known as my 'dormant phase'. It starts to rev up mid-late October and last till mid January. With the deep throws between thanksgiving and Christmas.

It's unbearable at times. Thinking not clearly is a huge challenge, my body revolts! I've been sick with 3 cold viruses, one kidney infection, my eczema is wild out of control, and my scalp is covered with hives. This in addition to the other PTSD garbage!

I hear yea and bid you some relaxation and stress relief, its tough times.