Suggestions For Student With Ptsd

[Eleanor]

Yikes, Beth, How totally and utterly horrible and unprofessional of them!:mad::( I am so sorry SO SO sorry that no one is "checked in" enough to actually listen to you. I wish I had the right person...actually, I'll private message you, maybe I do....

Anyway, (((((((beth)))))) and just point me and my 2x4 at the appropriate parties....(evil):D

 

[712xx]

Here is a list of very helpful things that I employ:

-- exercise everyday at least 45 minutes of cardio (even if it is just dancing around to music, it can lift the mood)

-- take 1-2 B-complex vitamins everyday (they help with my focus & motivation; huge help).
Take one in the morning & if my focus is slipping I take another around 2pm.

-- drink water all day, & limit my coffee to one cup in the morning & maybe one at lunch, but not everyday

-- eat a healthy diet with raw fruit, veggies, & whole grains
(caring enough about your body to take care of it can lower extra stress of preventable illness).

-- read anything 3 times
(a chapter, a whole book, an article, anything):
once to get familiar,
twice to take notes on the details & find important ideas,
and a third will imprint it on your mind and will actually let you connect this info to things you already know … this extra connection to established info that already has roots in your mind helps recall later.

-- when you start any task, dopamine will be released; this serves as a distraction to those of us with ptsd & related issues; it is very important to ride out this initial period of time at the beginning of tasks where you just want to find something else to do – timing is important for our focus to kick in.

It might take up to 45 minutes for real focus to happen, & when it does finally kick in, you might have to go back to the beginning of the task & start over (especially if it is reading). This was the reason I needed extra time on reading comprehension & essay-type exams. It is worth sticking out this initial lack of focus on the current task – ride it out & eventually your focus WILL kick in. It does take some time & practice.

-- memory: a few tricks to memory – I use colored pens, lists, charts, diagrams, & repetition
I write everything out that I need to remember using the above items … then write it again … then write it again until I can write it all out without needing to look at previous lists. It is work, but the results is worth the effort.

-- if you find yourself getting really really frustrated on one subject, it can be beneficial to work on easier subjects & go back to the harder ones. Try not to spend all your time stuck on one thing. Get the stuff you are able to get done first, then tackle the harder things.

-- if all else fails, ask for help.

 

[timetorecover]

I am going to sound like such a preacher, but try meditating (mindfulness)
It will ground you and enable you to concentrate.
Lots of large companies are getting their staff to meditate before they start work and it has proven to make them more productive. Mindfulness CBT and mediation is now accepted in mainstream medicine and is they key to recovery, honest!

 

[712xx]

^to timetorecover -- good tip on meditation. How about when the mind just won't relax? Have you ever been successful at getting your mind to get into that calm meditative space when your nervous system registers in the red zone? My method of forcing myself to sit and do nothing till it passes is really the only thing close to meditation as I can get during those red-zone phases. What kinds of things gets you to get all the way down into the zen zone?

 

[amethist]

Hi 712xx

I have taught my husband a way to calm his mind when he struggles to get into a meditative state.

I suggested he put a big spot light on all that is going round his head, slowly shut it down until it pin points one issue. Then slowly fade that out until he just has a tiny spot of light, then bring that back up to his tennis ball size, which is the beginning of his meditation.

It works most times for him.

 

[Eleanor]

Three more things to try -

1) light a candle and look at that (unless the trigger is fire of course!) Don't STARE at it without blinking, that will just make your eyes hurt. Just keep it in focus.

2) There is a kind of meditation called "tong-lin" where you do what we normally think of as backwards - Breathe In whatever the distress is for everyone on the planet who experiences it - Then breathe out whatever the antidote is - whatever color sound feeling texture. It is a compassion exercise too - but it tends to help us to "lean into" whatever the distressing emotion is rather than resist and run away from it and that makes it easier to process and wind down.

3) If you have a lot of anxiety you might try walking meditation. There are lots of good instructions for walking meditation if you google it.

Peace!

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[Sheer Force of Will]

Hey, I am a student in Grad school and I am really struggling too. My classes are three hours each and sitting still through them every day is a nightmare. I try to just bury myself in the school work. I am in a health care profession, so I can remind myself that even if I feel pointless, the work I am doing will help someone someday. Still, It makes me feel trapped. Is that how you feel at all?

 

[Philippa]

I'm about to start my course in Art Therapy next wednesday, and thankfully it is with a very supportive school, where I have already met the student counselor and been assured I can go to whenever I need to.

Apart from that, I am STILL studying an online course in ESL, and it has been about 4 years now. I have not even gotten half way through the course. I cannot concentrate, and found myself majorly distracting myself for doing the work...like joining PD forums that really did me not much good at all apart from getting bullied and then told that 'I created it':confused:

I did make some friends from there though, so it wasn't all bad.

It's been great to read the suggestions here, and helped me a lot.

 

[bethinhfx]

Well, I threw in the towel. I am done. I wrote one essay and I have been in a crisis for almost a month-- maybe in September! Is it hard to get good help or what? OMG. Beth

 

[Eleanor]

(((((((Beth))))))) Don't be hard on yourself. You have way bigger fish to fry a the moment than school. It will be there when you are ready. There is no prize for doing it faster or earlier. Honestly. It is optional. That means you can choose when to do it or not without blame. Taking care of yourself is the first priority and you are doing that. Good for you for throwing in the towel!:tup:

 

[Girl3]

For some of us with PTSD - especially if we have been held down, strangled, and/or smothered - quiet breathing may make us feel worse. I did a biofeedback study a number of years ago (like 20) that was supposed to help me control my anxiety. The slower my breathing, the worse my heart rate and blood pressure became - to the point where I was cut from the study. My current psychiatrist tells me that this is not surprising in light of some of my past traumas. That is why I do better with exercise.

Mindfulness covers a lot of territory and depends on whether you are talking about Hindu based or Buddhist based. Being aware - mindful - and allowing the feelings to occur, observing the feelings, and allowing feelings to be perceived without drama or judgment - doesn't require you to sit still or breathe in a certain way. But it does mean you must be aware of your breathing - the feeling of it passing through your nose, etc. That type of mindfulness is what I currently am working on in therapy.That kind of mindfulness where you are aware is helpful to get focused.

 

[bethinhfx]

Ah, its all so painful isn't it? oh my lord. God bless us all as we work our way through all of this " stuff ". You will all be in my prayers. Peace!