Tourette Syndrome & Tic Disorders Support Group
This community is dedicated to those afflicted with a tic disorder. A tic disorder is one in which uncontrollable muscle spasms that can range from small annoyances to major disruptive occurrences. .
About the last week or so my tics have been really kicking my ass. Consequently I've upped my meds. It will be awhile before the meds kick in all of the way so in the meantime I have to tolerate what's going on. The tics are making it hard for me to concentrate. In this regard the most troublesome tic is the one where my head suddenly snaps from side to side. I've also been doing a lot of grunting sounds, saying bad words, and various other vocal/motor tics. Fortunately for me my close friends understand my plight. The truth, I think, is that my annoyance of this all is much more of a problem for me personally than how my behavior is may be negatively affecting others around me. Honestly, the junk going on inside of my head, what might be termed mental coprolalia, is oftentimes more of an annoyance than my physical behaviors. I have great difficulty blocking these "forbidden" thoughts (chiefly bad language and sexual imagery) that always seem to clog my mind. The majority of the time this type of thing is fairly mild but occasionally it can be a big problem.
Besides taking meds for my Tourette's I've found that using humor is invaluable to me. If I say some cuss words (they just suddenly/unpredictably pop out) I just laugh about it. I seldom have a problem with saying things in public that isn't appropriate. My secret behind this is to allow myself to let the "pressure inside of my head" out in private and/or by people who don't mind me talking the way that I do. I see this technique as a sort of "safety valve" you might say.
I'd be very interested in hearing about others coping techniques. I hope that I've provided some information here that may be of use to someone. --Scott
Besides taking meds for my Tourette's I've found that using humor is invaluable to me. If I say some cuss words (they just suddenly/unpredictably pop out) I just laugh about it. I seldom have a problem with saying things in public that isn't appropriate. My secret behind this is to allow myself to let the "pressure inside of my head" out in private and/or by people who don't mind me talking the way that I do. I see this technique as a sort of "safety valve" you might say.
I'd be very interested in hearing about others coping techniques. I hope that I've provided some information here that may be of use to someone. --Scott
I also laugh it off with my friends, but this sometimes leads them to think that everything to do with my TS isn't a big deal, when in reality it can sometimes be very frustrating. I find that letting the tics out around my friends and when I'm alone helps as well. I am actually pretty good at repressing the tics when they would be inconvenient. I can get flustered when I feel the urges coming and I find that focusing on my breathing and counting while taking a few deep breathes can calm me down and bring relief to my back. I have also become a more mellow person as getting overly frustrated or angry about something only makes my tics worse.
I also agree very much with the humor sentiment. A lot of times I try to make myself or others laugh, because I know when I am not laughing deep down, that I am upset. People don't always notice my physical symptoms of tourettes so when I tell them about it they don't seem to think it is 'that bad'. They have no idea and it makes me frustrated too.