Some random advice for you

[Deleted member 35429]

I have dealt with pretty severe PTSD and dissociation in the past few years.

One random thing that really helped was learning to juggle. Yes, like a clown. Juggling balls grounded me like nothing else. And eased so much anxiety. There is nothing like the forced focus of juggling. It's meditative. Advanced piano pieces also worked to clear my mind but I know music isn't for everyone.

Just my 2 cents. Do something physical that takes a lot of focus. It helped me with PTSD and now I'm a master juggler which is a funny party trick.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

Hmmm, that's cool! I can see it.

 

[Deleted member 35429]

My ptsd symptoms stopped a couple months ago...I stopped coming here to this site around that time and I haven't juggled since then either. Pretty funny. No conscious effort on this, it all just stopped. Nice reprieve for now. Hopefully forever.

 

[whiteraven]

I actually have juggling balls. Think I'll pick them up and practice again. :-)

 

[Deleted member 541]

I firmly believe that doing ANYTHING that takes the focus off of ourselves/symptoms/feelings is far better than even doing meds. Just my opinion. I think people tend to focus so much on how they feel, every little new symptom, feeling, thought, dream, that they become hyper focused on their PTSD and tend to blame everything on PTSD. Their life revolves around their symptoms, how they feel and PTSD.

Not everything is PTSD related. Boy, I know that my point of view won't be popular with many people. It's how I see it with many people here though....

 

[Crow]

There's a theory, can't remember the name and don't feel like googling, about how getting both sides of the brain working together rewires our nervous system and decreases trauma response. So cool you found that with juggling! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Tornadic Thoughts]

Right on! Hula hoops and a mini-trampoline have been two of my favorite life-changing tools. I never would have imagined, but now that I've lived it, I remain amazed. Gonna go grab some fruit and try to juggle now. Thanks!!! :)

Forgot to add.....we often spend much of our time juggling thought after thought after thought...it only makes sense to redirect that energy into juggling something else instead. Brilliant.

 

[whiteraven]

Right on! Hula hoops and a mini-trampoline have been two of my favorite life-changing tools....

Oh my gosh. I used to love to hula hoop!

 

[Tornadic Thoughts]

I tried the store bought hula hoops, but they were too small and too light. I learned how to make my own from a you tube video after seeing hand made ones costing upwards of $25 at festivals and such.

You have to buy a 100 foot roll of tubing to do it with, so there's enough to share. lol It was a bit of an investment in the tubing, connectors, special tubing cutters, and tape to decorate them, but I sold a few, too to make up for the initial cost. It's a hoot!

 

[Teasel]

I found learning new languages (language apps) ever so effective at reducing intense anxiety.
Would that be the same sort of thing?

I don't know if language learning or being anxious are opposite side of the brain jobs or not.

But I found it great at getting me out of anxiety or panic and into the grey matter and rational brain....

 

[lostforgottensoul]

I firmly believe that doing ANYTHING that takes the focus off of ourselves/symptoms/feelings is far better than even doing meds.

I totally agree! I don't think I would have months ago but today I do. Actually, the last 2 sessions at my therapist was me asking if I am distracting too much and if I am actually dealing with my past or just pushing it away for the moment, am I just numbing? I am speaking about training my service dog in training. It is the biggest distraction ever. And before I lost my job and was working and training I had no time to even watch tv let alone see how I felt, which worried me. His reply, both times, was that it is about focusing on something other then all that junk and it is something that is trying to make me more functional in the future so it is a very constructive something. He also didn't think I was numbing but he did think that I was finally able to fully change my focus (which is very hard for me).

I think all the dirty work before hand made me think it was like that the entire time until one day you are "healed" and it just isn't.

I am not saying that feeling feelings is bad as it isn't. We did that. I learned how to finally let them pass and I am still learning how to let thoughts pass and I do still have intrusive thoughts and I am still ruled by the past in many ways so we still have work to do and I think that's what worried me but I now think that if you can do something constructive that distracts you from that junk, then that's a good thing.

 

[Deleted member 541]

@lostforgottensoul Good for you!!! Honestly though, I'm not sure that it's just about distracting, as it is about NOT FOCUSING on every little symptom, feeling, thought, etc. When we focus on ourselves, and how we emotionally feel, then I think it just snowballs out of control. EVERYTHING becomes heightened, emotions become crazed, symptoms are accute and things just spiral.

When we find and do other things, we become focused on outside things vs inside things (us and our feelings) I focus on my job. Do I still have symptoms? Yes, but they don't bother me as much as when all I basically did was focus on my emotions and how that effected me and everything around me.

I hope this thread can help others to basically "get out of their own heads" and find something that they enjoy and that can take the focus of themselves and PTSD!!!!!!