Can't Do School Work When Triggered

[Anicca173]

I have a ton of stuff due this week and the sat this weekend. I have very little free time I have to work and study constantly because of this. when I get triggered, I disassociate or panic and can't pull my head out of the trauma. I really really need to get the work done but I also need to take care of myself. does anyone have any advice on how to work and study while upset or disassociating? I just can't focus

 

[Renee123]

Hey,

I'm also taking the SAT this weekend! I know how hard it can be trying to balance school and trauma. Maybe talk to your teachers or a guidance counselor if you can? I let one of my teachers know. Teachers can help you organize your assignments a bit and give you some direction.

 

[L83201]

Taking short breaks when you can do breathing exercises, a short meditation practice or a 10 minutes yoga practice or something else that usually works for you or has worked in the past. Something else is grounding, you could do intellectual or physical grounding, for instance: walking very slowly and mindfully paying attention to your body's weight on each step; running cold or hot water on your hands or your face mindfully, drinking a cup of tea while paying attention to the temperature of the cup and how it feels,...

It might sound stupid or useless, but if you try some strategies (there are tons) it's likely you'll find something that works for you and really gets your mind off trauma. Once you feel better, then you can study. Grounding works best when it's done for a long time, 20-30 minutes maybe, but if the alternative is trying to study and not being able to focus for hours, then it's worth spending 30 minutes for self-care maybe? If that's not the case, then there are other self-care alternatives that can be really short (10 minutes).

Here are some things that work for me: playing some of the lumosity games (it's a website), 20 to 40 minutes yoga practices, 10 minutes guided meditation, self-monitoring feelings and thoughts (like in Harry Potter, the Pensieve - sometimes it works other times not at all), watching short, very funny videos, breathing exercises, imagining a safe place for at least 10 minutes, describing it in great detail with all the senses.

Good luck!

 

[henamedmeowl]

Doing a free write in a journal is the only think that snaps me back to the present...and not really even the present but just safety so that I can refocus myself on what I am actually trying to do...it's so hard when that happens because the last thing I want to do is be present but writing brings me back down, back into my body, and then I remember that I am chasing my dreams. *hugs*

 

[EveHarrington]

Do you know grounding skills? It's important to know these as we all have different skills that work for us. It can take practice, lots and lots of practice, before finding the best skills for us.