ice from the freezer, an ice pack on skin can bring you into the moment.

tapping or rocking self, tapping a foot even. (EFT - there are youtube vids)

take a bath or shower, put some makeup on and pick up around the house real quick.

do 15 min of work at a time. take 5 min break.

look at a flower or hold a stone.

doing a little exercise in or outdoor. stretch.

spinning in a circle like a top - i think counterclockwise ( one of the Tibetan Rites )






one story : one time my x was arguing with me - we were living out in the mountains no one around, and his dick was hanging out of his boxers, but he was taking himself so serious -

i just stood there and smiled .

http://www.nextagemission.com/ringoffireprayers.htm



here you go goddess : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClkDvNEWKu0

one more distraction, have you seen previews for Animal Practice?, it looks nuts!

I had severe chronic PTSD. I mean really bad..... therapist said i was the worst case that she had ever seen. It took me more than 2 years to pull myself out (well actually it was a sociopath mirroring me alongside final batch of 18 months EMDR therapy).

So i understand how it feels not to be able to focus, concentrate or function. i am ok today....


I had the best therapist in the world. What actually works is getting your left right action going in your brain. So things like - walking whilst talking - going out on bike (that worked a lot) she said playing video games which made your brain go from left to right. I guess reading would do it, but if your brain is frozen that wont be easy, as i know you cant focus or concentrate enough to read.

Just remember left right action - if you have a bike - go out on it for an hour - if you have someone good to go with you. all the better.... I think that was probably the best thing I went out on my bike pretty much every day for months.

thanks for the video lionne, i felt better after listening to it, meditation is so hard when ur mind is going crazy , but this one is great....peace to u and everyone today and always.....

Aagardfamily-below is a copy of something I posted a while ago. I too suffered PTSD and have found it very difficult to concentrate and also sit calmly, doing nothing without feelings of despair creeping in. For years I slept with a dvd on and overworked to keep busy so as not to think. I found my mind wandered off whilst others were speaking and the smallest thing could trigger unwanted thoughts. The exercise below is the only thing that helped. The key seems to be to stay 'present' and control your thoughts/feelings/memories without denying them. Apparently, eventually your brain links those memories to part of the brain that stores past memories, thus preventing your mind from replaying things as if it happened yesterday. My friend, having cognitive therapy, introduced me to it. I found this exercise on a blog:



Hi, this is something that I suffered with until recently, joining this group (and Dharma's advice in particular) helped. At first the memories were necessary to aid my understanding and acceptance, but later they became a hindrance and stopped me from moving forward. I've loved the last few posts where people have shared what they have learned in therapy and thought I would share the exercise that helped me (just from a bwebsite blog) should any of you be suffering with it now / need it in the future. It's simple but over time it really worked for me and it eases the upset caused by the memories. Eventually I could just talk myself down and now I only need to use it rarely - mostly I can acknowledge the thoughts but then swiftly put them to one side and get on with my life! Wishing you happy thoughts!

"Grounding exercises for ptsd symptoms

Today I'll go over a grounding exercise I learned that was very helpful in managing ptsd symptoms. Its not a cure. At best, it makes the unbearable manageable. Sometimes when things were really bad it did not work well at all, but I did it anyway. The goal is to bring the ptsd sufferer back to the present by way of the senses, out of a flashback or intrusive memory. Anytime the symptoms of ptsd come on, whatever they are for you, is a good time to practice this exercise.

First look around and see five things present where you are, naming them -- out loud if possible (the naming out loud is supposed to help, but sometimes I would cheat and do it under my breath, too). Anyway, name specific things, in detail, as you see them. For example, I see a picture of my old dog with a wet nose; I see a black computer speaker; and so on. Then name five things you can hear, like the humming of a fan, cars passing by, the dishwasher running, and so forth. Then name five things you can feel. I had a hard time with this first, because I thought it refered to emotions, feelings, but that's not what I was supposed to be after. Its the sense of touch, so I feel jeans against the skin of my left thigh; I feel the soles of my feet on the floor, and so on. If you get stumped, its ok to repeat things, just concentrate on actually sensing them in the present. Then repeat the whole process for sight, hearing and touch four times, then three, then two, then one. You get extra bonus points if you become so wrapped up in your senses that you lose count. Generally, this would bring me back a little. I would still be miserable most of the time and in pain, but the memory part would subside and sometimes the worst symptoms of a flashback would recede."

http://ptsdme.blogspot.co.uk/2005/1...

Hope it helps, Beth.

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions!

The things that are helping the most right now are going outside and taking a quick walk (it's pretty chilly here) ... items from the freezer, and doing 15 min of work at a time then taking a 5 min break.

I'm feeling better today but still struggling to focus on school.

(Oh, and not talking to members of my dysfunctional family helps A LOT)

LOL :-)