Self Care And Well Being

[MissMacD]

I was diagnosed with PTSD about ten years ago and I recently turned thirty. My trauma is a result of neglect, torture, and being passed around like a hot potato between relatives and eventually ending up in foster care for most of my teenage years and then tossed on the street by the government once I reached 18.

Recovery is a lot of work and there are some little tricks that I'd like to share with others that make a huge difference in how I feel from day to day. It's not easy to keep up with taking care of myself because I've never really had anyone to take care of me. I've been responsible for myself as long as I can remember.

Things that work for me include:
1. Eating plenty of fruit, veggies and whole grains
2. Limiting my caffeine intake
3. Setting a sleep schedule and only sleeping during those hours
4. Daily exposure to sunlight at least 10 minutes per day (which I get on my daily walk with my dogs)
5. Taking on a realistic amount of responsibility (this is tough as my coping mechanism for years was being a workaholic)

What helps you in your recovery? I struggle being nice to myself.

 

[franciemarnie]

Great ideas MissMacD.

I like to start my day burning sage and again any time I need a pick me up.

I like to listen to great music and dance.

I check in with my body/mind in daily mindful meditation and see what's happening versus decades of yelling, Shut up! at it.

I take sea salt baths when I have physical pain because that wears on a person.

I drink Tulsi or Green tea for relaxing pick me ups.

Doing squats, etc. helps my irregularity in addition to eating right like you.

I work a little each day on a couple of kids books I am writing. Will self publish if I can't get brick and mortar publisher.

Try to hear what the kids inside me want to do.

 

[macca]

This is a great thread - I'm just starting out with this. I have begun to exercise and eat right again, only started a week ago, but usually don't last more than a day or two, so a week means it's going well so far. Haven't done so well with other stuff, but got to start somewhere. Hope I can make myself keep it up. Still way too harsh on myself, and only have two modes - workaholic or can't do anything. Got to find the middle!

 

[bell]

I exercise and am diligent about getting 8 hours of sleep a night. I found that it is easier to do so when I take note of how much better I feel afterwards than I do without doing those things.

For the past month, I've been incorporating a lot more veg in to my life and have been amazed at how much better I feel!

And one of the most important things that I do for myself is to check in on my breathing. I find that most often I am shallow breathing (i.e., breathing from my chest) and that when I am doing so, it makes it easier for my anxiety to rise. Therefore, I try to check in on how I'm breathing a few times a day (or whenever I notice it) and remember to take deep breaths down from my ribcage. Doing this has been so helpful, too, as I find it clears my mind and helps me focus.

 

[rightkindofme]

Yoga has made a huge difference for me. Being able to move my body fully through motions instead of having tense muscles that prevent full rotation helps my body not hurt which helps my mood.

Otherwise pretty much everything is covered above. :)

 

[Bluerose]

Great idea for a thread. Let’s compare notes. Breathing exercises are good. It’s quite amazing how long we go without taking a really deep, slow, conscious breath. Good for the brain and the blood flow, to say nothing about the lungs and relaxation. I make a point of taking three slow deep breaths whenever I’m say, waiting in line or soaking in the tub. Meditation, relaxation, and the use of positive affirmations helps make me feel strong and in control of my life. Eating little and often works for me and getting a good nights sleep - a bit of a problem for me still even after cutting down on caffeine.

 

[Marf]

Taking good care of myself is very difficult. I have to use conscience decisions to remember to eat, sleep, take meds. So many people take these basics for granted, but I think these will always be a struggle for me.

 

[WillowMarie]

The things I currently do now is go to bed no later than 10:30 and not drink caffiene.

I want to keep working on eating healthier and maybe start exercising.

 

[MissMacD]

When I am feeling unwell I have a difficult time knowing what makes me feel better. There are so many little components to well being. They are such simple self care tasks and can make all the difference.

I do yoga too, which I haven't been doing enough of lately and I've been using my juicer to make fresh juice every morning. I've been staying away from soft drinks and consuming way less refined sugar. I have my own room in my house that I can go to if I need some quiet time.

Another thing I've been working on is not letting people get the best of me. My landlord likes to freak out when we ask to have things fixed and so now my bf deals with him.

 

[MissMacD]

I have been taking extra walks outside lately because I've been feeling antsy. Learning to manage my PTSD/anxiety/depression is very much a trial and error process.

 

[MissMacD]

Today I killed my doorbell. The darned thing has been slowly driving me nuts over the past three years. It is the most awful noise I have ever heard and after finally reaching my breaking point I decided to disconnect it.

 

[MissMacD]

The evil door bell lives D:, not sure how but it has decided to prevail.