Does An Increase In Stressors & A Fuller Cup Increase Flashbacks?

[Abstract]

Hi everyone.

Does anyone find this? I should have said "potentially increase flashbacks" but ran out of space. I am still struggling to find out what all sets me off.

Either I am hitting triggers I am not aware of by being more social or else just doing things and being more active is tipping me over the edge somehow. More activity seems to equal more flashbacks.

Anyone have any information on this or personal experience?

Many thanks.

 

[Rumors]

I can only tell you my personal experience. When I am stressed, I don't sleep well. Once I don't sleep well, it all turns to chaos after a few days. I can be going along seemingly fine and coping with issues in a manner that is working and then it seems as if things spiral once my insomnia kicks in to play. After that, it can take weeks to get things subsided and back into order again. It is almost like I have to back out of it the opposite way by handling flashbacks in order to get sleep. I can only wait until the flashbacks become managable in the respect that I can ease them by breathing or distracting. Once I am able to gain that control I can work on sleeping again. LOL! Seriously messed up!

If you can tell by the time of this post, I am having some insomnia! I am hoping in the next week or so it will ease back into being normal again! Good luck!

 

[Shellbell]

Good question :tup:

I haven't noticed whether more stress (good and bad) leads to more flashbacks. I will take more notice now when I have a flashback if it has been a time of more stress.

Interesting!

 

[2narcissa]

Rumors I had a problem with sleeping,until I found this mediation guided hypnosis on youtube, it's a woman who tell's stories and put's me in a complete trance, I fall asleep before it end's every night! It really helped me! Even my dog is snoring with me. If you want to try please PC me and I will give you her name.

 

[2narcissa]

I think it's difficult to figure out trigger's unless you think of the trauma, or trauma's. And we wanna avoid that right? I just came up with a thought, next time you feel it, keep a pen and paper, record it, then avoid it until you have more strength to face it head on.

 

[treble.maker]

That's definitely how it is for me, Abstract. Whenever my "cup" is already really full one day, it's kind of like I've already exhausted all my other defense mechanisms, so I have no choice but to go into flashback mode. I find it to be kind of like an art, figuring out exactly what stresses me out and what to avoid so that I don't get over-stressed.

Maybe more activity is making you more stressed, because you have less alone time to sort of wind down and sort of "empty" your cup a bit?

 

[Deleted member 1860]

Most definitely!

More stress=More flashbacks. Well, for ME, anyway. And I suspect that it's true for others, too.

 

[Ice_Fire]

Yes definitely. It's as if when I'm really stressed, there's nothing left to be able to cope with triggers so I flashback more. Sometimes just when I'm stressed I'll get stuck in flashback without an obvious trigger.

 

[NarcSis]

Sitting there right now.

As the stress increases I find my ability to combat the symptoms decreases - my coping threshold gets breached. I agree with Rumors, my recovery is based on the ability to reduce/remove the stress, it can be days to weeks.

This feels like it will be a tough episode for me, my strategies are only providing minimal relief.

A resounding Yes to your question.

 

[Abstract]

Thanks everyone!

Hi Rumors.
I don't believe it is the sleep for me as I always don't sleep well. I had a year on 1 hour a night which wasn't great. Its good to hear about sleep though as I tend to not give this enough attention!
I know we empty out stress through sleep so guess it makes sense.
And I agree I need to calm things down before sleep so it is a catch 22.

And I was up at the same time as you so that says a lot!


Hi Shellbell.
Yes! Let me know what happens if you figure it out.
Thanks for answering.


Hi narcissa.
A lot of my experiences are behind what feels like a metal door. I know the basic outline of what is in there, almost like a label, but I don't have any visuals or anything else other than in flashback so a lot of images and flashbacks don't make any sense to me.

For example as far as I know my father was only involved in emotionally abusive experiences and yet I get flashbacks with his face looming over me. I thought maybe I people were saying things or had facial expressions that were setting me off but I don't know.


Hi treble.maker.
Thank you!
That is great information to consider. I have started doing something extreme and have withdrawn from everything. It has calmed things down but I am not sure if it is the best idea.
It is like an art isn't it?!
Being with anyone I care about at all and no matter how relaxed I a, before seems to set me off immediately after.
Strangers are not so much of an issue. But my trust issues loom more with people I care about so I am not sure if that is increasing my stress levels.

But yes, alone time.


HiScaredOfLonely.
Thanks!!
Have just been heading in the direction of this realisation for a while.
Very helpful as I though I was imagining it.


Hi Ice_Fire.

Thanks!
May I ask something? Both you and others mention your normal ways of stopping flashbacks are possibly overwhelmed when more stressors are around.
What are those normal means of stopping flashbacks?

And yes, sometimes I feel I am running blind with triggers. I don't know what is happening or why.

Hi Medic72.
Sorry to hear you are sitting with this now.

As the stress increases I find my ability to combat the symptoms decreases - my coping threshold gets breached.

As I said to Ice_Fire, I am wondering what normal means there are to combat the symptoms. I have stopped seeing anyone I care about because it always seems to have a backlash.

I hope things calm for you soon and thank you for your input.

 

[Meadowsweet]

Yes, I think it increases the risk of full flashbacks.

 

[Ice_Fire]

Hi,

Erm, quite often, comforting smells, a friend attempting to ground me (not always successfully) or just time will eventually stop a flashback. But, when I'm stressed out, not only am I more likely to have a flashback, but any of the above tend not to work. I'm not sure there is a method as such of getting out of a flashback per say...I think anything comforting and/or grounding will help.