What Helps You Recognize You Are Slipping Or Triggered & Stop The Slide?

[Tinyflame]

Just thinking if anyone notices for themselves, since I've been very triggered myself lately?

So far I'd say worsened startle response, acute hearing, more rapid thoughts or just more thoughts in general, feelings of unsafety +/or doom, difficullty sleeping, upset stomach, very sore neck & shoulders, leg cramps in bed, some nightmares, relentless migraines, constant feeling of medium--high-ish anxiety, funny taste in mouth, oddly not noticing a lot of details visually in surroundings, distracted thoughts, increased fears, rapid heart beat on & off, weird body temperatures- super ice cold (mostly) or super hot, muscles jumping in stomach, feeling unsure of most things, attention to detail of triggering small things, eg like the chord on a drape but miss much of the rest of the room. harder to focus, questioning & fearful.

I think recognizing it's occurring is first, then identifying & minimizing eg it's just 'being triggerred'/ not possibly or likely true to the impression it's giving/ since it feels grave.

To 'stop'.

 

[Gadgie]

Aye! Junebug, I recognise every symptom you mentioned there, I was ticking them off in my brain as I was reading your post, it was a weird feeling, Goodun!

 

[Powder]

It usually takes a bunch of symptoms for me, like you're describing, to realize.

I'm sorry you are having those symptoms. How long with that many?

I don't think it's always being re-triggered. For me, new triggers (or rather new to me) come up in life.

For example, from time to time I would be alarmed or upset by a man wanting to take my photo with a camera, or even seeing a camera. But I always attributed it to feeling insecure about my looks, low self-esteem.

It wasn't until remembering about a traumatic event that involved this stimulus that clues me into the anxiety and phobic reactions and avoidance that I've had with cameras and photos. The flashing lights is also triggering to the body, and then there is the traumatic memory as well.

So it could be a buried memory coming out with a trigger that is as yet unclear or a recurrence. There are times when I think the body with PTSD just has the PTSD symptoms without being set off by much.

Just a bad night's sleep, being sick, having an infection...these all trigger me into a week or more of symptoms and emotional behavior.

Hugs if you want them. I'm not doing too hot today and I seem to be angry and agitated. I accidentally broke dishes in the sink by throwing a dirty bottle in. Didn't mean to break anything, but I was angry. :(

 

[Friday]

Recognize...

Symptoms up?
Functionality down?
Coping mechanisms up OR down?

Yep.

Things are about to get interesting. :wtf:

Really it's any of those 3 things. And, unfortunately, if I'm noticing them it's probably been going on for awhile, or has had a very apparent set up. Conversely, there are times I know I'm likely to be on the ropes, aka I can see the set up happening, but whether or not I can stop it? In either case? Always the question.

Going back to basics, helps. If I've got the basics. If not? Keep trying to elbow some room.


***
Deal with? Eh. I'm not so great, there. Working on it.

I'm volatile as hell right now. All over the damn map. Moody as f*ck. It's outstanding. The upside, though, is that means I've also got some relief. Don't like this mood? Wait 5 minutes. The downside is that I do this whenever I'm about to spin the f*ck out. Also upside. I know that, so I'm trying to take steps to counter what I know is coming. Ignore my better ideas (if it sounds true, like a good idea, etc. I'm ignoring it). Bleed stress. Eat. Sleep. Stay connected when & where I can, (although I'm pretty sure I'm about to be banned here/ told to shove off IRL/ should delete everything/ should crawl under the nearest available rock about 5,000 miles distant), don't make major decisions, know if I'm getting dark fast I need to make light, do what I can whenever I can because I don't know when the next chance will be, distract myself, use sounding boards to sanity check my decisions, et cetera. It's a clusterf*ck. My head is FUBAR right now. But knowing that gives me options. Because things can always get worse. So do what I can when I can to chill the f*ck out, not feed into my own crazy but check myself hard & often, kick back to basics. Et cetera.

 

[Sideways]

Two things seem to be going on here. Brain is in overdrive, and tthe body isn't coping (and sending you a tonne of physiological cues to let you know).

Keep it simple. Your brain needs to calm down. So self-soothing. Lots of attention to relaxation time, keeping grounded in the moment, journalling (if that helps, some people makes it worse). Break out the yoga if you can. Calm distractions: funny tv shows, relaxing book, make a cup of tea and spend a full 10 minutes just sitting comfortably drinking tea. All that stuff. Get your brain into a space, even for short periods, at regular intervals throughout the day where your brain can come down a few notches.

Then the body stuff. Pay attention to how much water you're drinking, make sure the food you put in your mouth is doing something to help your body out. Make sleep hygiene a priority- good routines to turn it down before bed. Exercise - anything. Walk for 5 minutes at a comfortable pace in one direction then turn around and walk home. That's 10 minutes of getting all the physiological processes in your body back to a healthy rhythm.

This is stuff that you do without the expectation that you're going to 'feel better' once you've done it. 10 minutes of walking, you won't feel better as soon as you get home, so don't expect to. The idea is that over the coming days and then weeks, your whole system will start to function at a more manageable rate. So you won't feel better right now, but in 3 days time, you should be starting to get to the point where the number of physical symptoms you're experiencing has reduced, and the amount of time that your brain is going gangbusters each day has pulled back a bit and your overall baseline is better.

Keep at, and keep it simple. You can get on top of this. You can.

 

[EveHarrington]

Triggering sends others into a slide?

I'm just curious.

I handle the triggering so it doesn't send me on a slide. I'm triggered, have a flashback, then I'm ok.

It's all my physical symptoms that send me on a slide. Usually lack of sleep. Like now. :-/

 

[Tinyflame]

Dear @Gadgie , @Muse , @Friday , @Ragdoll Circus , @EveHarrington , thank you all so very much. Each of your input is super helpful to me, I want to come back & do it justice, but must get through much paperwork due tomorrow. After many years of nose-diving in September- I actually realized this year I nose-dive or implode in September! :rolleyes: :eek:

Just to say quickly, I hope everyone & @Friday you can hang in there. And thank you all for helping me feel not so alone with these symptoms. :notworthy: Xox. :hug:

 

[Tinyflame]

Ps, @Muse, I think the broken dish(es)= 7 years of good luck.. :) :tup: ;)

:hug:

 

[Freedomfighter]

Just thinking if anyone notices for themselves, since I've been very triggered myself lately?

So far I'...

Yep, all very common symptoms. I have thought about these symptoms a lot and I think a lot of it is from the trauma and the brain trying to repair itself. That can also be physically painful.
There is a huge difference when I think back with PTSD from over 6 years ago. I understand a lot more now, does not make it any less frightening in the least.

 

[Kailani]

I start feeling like I took drugs sometimes; sometimes I don't realize it or what it was. If I start feeling like I took drugs, I try to ground and tend to isolate cuz the symptoms are overwhelming then later when they are more mild, I call on other defenses like friends to talk to, prayer, EMDR, grounding, self care time outs.

 

[Chiqui]

Hi, Junebag,

I tend to overload my mind with "should be doing, reading, working on this and that... At the end I do nothing, couse to tired with all the anxiety thinking. I still haven't a routine for eating and sleeping, after 8 years of trying it.
My trauma destroyed my inner clock, also my body goes on high temps, as it would be boiling and very low, as it would be dying.

What I do? I take it as it comes, tired of trying any selfdiscipline. Selfsabotage is always around, waiting for any opportunity to break my efforts.

Sorry if I haven't been very helpful, I can relate with all the symtoms you mentioned.
They must be common in Ptsd.

 

[Tinyflame]

All very helpful, thank you. :notworthy: :hug: