Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Support Group
Find support with others who have gone through a traumatic experience. Whether you have chronic or acute PTSD, we are here for you.
I'm pretty good about dealing with my PTSD insomnia most of the time. But today is the first day of teacher meetings at my community college as we start a new semester. I woke up at 3:30am and was WIDE awake with anxiety squirrels running through my head as to all the things to do before classes begin this Wednesday.
So I finally got up and made a list of things to do, did two of them, crossed them off, and hung the list over my desk so it can be seen. That way I tell myself I make progress instead of running over the same stuff again and again. It also shows me the stuff to do is written down, so I don't have to rehearse it over and over by memory. It's written down, it won't be forgotten.
What do you all do when your PTSD amps up worry over stuff you simply have to do in life? It's NOT A CRISIS. Starting a semester is just routine when you've got a teaching job. But my PTSD doesn't know that, and approaches stuff with sirens and lights flashing as if routine stuff was a five alarm fire. Wow, do I ever get tired of PTSD overreaction. Literally tired.
Any suggestions on how to calm things down, relax, have self-confidence, and get some sleep?
So I finally got up and made a list of things to do, did two of them, crossed them off, and hung the list over my desk so it can be seen. That way I tell myself I make progress instead of running over the same stuff again and again. It also shows me the stuff to do is written down, so I don't have to rehearse it over and over by memory. It's written down, it won't be forgotten.
What do you all do when your PTSD amps up worry over stuff you simply have to do in life? It's NOT A CRISIS. Starting a semester is just routine when you've got a teaching job. But my PTSD doesn't know that, and approaches stuff with sirens and lights flashing as if routine stuff was a five alarm fire. Wow, do I ever get tired of PTSD overreaction. Literally tired.
Any suggestions on how to calm things down, relax, have self-confidence, and get some sleep?
-
Hey All...I hope that you have a lovely, peaceful beginning of your weekI have a bunch of chores that need doing but may put them off til tomorrow and just hang out with my landlord/roomie todayWhat about you?...Anything special going on?Have a great day and take good care of you!!..Xo
-
Once again I've had a fever today. I'm not going to the hospital because that's a huge waste of time but I did schedule a dr appointment for Wednesday afternoon.
I like th elist idea (very cool and concrete).
Mostly, I breathe my body relaxed, and just let my brain run riot until I conk out or I can start actually doing a What If scenario exercise. What if.... OK, answer that. And answer every what if, even if (in my case) it gets as absurd as the impression the universe will end *if*.... That usually helps me identify the specifics of what and why I'm infested with PTSD Mind-Rodents, and I talk it out. Usually, to myself. Sounds weird, but sometimes I'm my own worst enemy *and* best therapist.
Big purrs of comfort, Muji.
and when that doesn't help I take a sleepinal. I usually end up taking a sleepinal during the work week and magically when I get to the weekend I can sleep good and don't need it. I was on zolpidiem before and that really helped . The zolpidiem gave me no dreams and I saw a rat crawling beside the wall once
Sometimes I can turn those "anxiety squirrels" into song lyrics and do the re-writes as I sing them for however long it takes me to get those damned rodents to quit spinning.
Singing is a breathing exercise and the re-writes often end up turning into "re-framing" by the time I can knock the rodents off the spinning wheel. I can sing what's bugging me right out loud and make believe it is, "Just a song."
Usually once I get the anxiety rodents off the treadmill, the insomnia goes away on its own.
I really appreciate coming home from the college meeting day to find understanding here from you all. It really is beautiful.
The meeting sucked, by the way. It went downhill for 3 hours, and then finally just petered out at the end when there was a technology breakdown with the software and one of the Powerpoint presentations. Just sad they made us 200 instructors sit through it all.
I'm really unhappy with our community college's computer folks right now anyway. I'm going up for tenure, so I've been printing off paper copies of my semester by semester teaching evaluations for the past five years from the computer system. Except the computer system folks LOST an entire semester's worth of them for the Spring of 2015.
Gone without backup or a trace. If I'd lost them they'd have my head, but when I complained it didn't seem to move the needle much. I don't think it will make a difference against my tenure decision, though, so when I get over it I think it'll be ok. Just one more thing in this day....
But at the end of the day, as always happens, some of us teachers got together and talked about real classroom stuff, and when it got real like that friendship sparked.
Then I came home here to find my DS PTSD friends were there for me, too.
Thank you. I AM going to have a cup of tea and sleep it off now. Then meditate in the morning. Thanks for those suggestions!
Hope you sleep well tonight
"Imagine a teacher who wakes up in the morning and says, Theres never enough time in the day. I work more hours than I have to really make a difference. I cannot possibly be expected to meet all of the curriculum goals without team planning time. Im so tired of the technology not working when I need it!
Now imagine a teacher who wakes and says, I will strive to reduce my students anxiety before their test today. I will speak positively with others and listen with compassion.
I need to take that advice.
And thanks SO MUCH for wishing me a good night's sleep. That's key!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCIkbr9HCcw