Habituation Process Completed...

[Lorenzo74]

Hi All…

Just a quick positive note for everybody out there…

After 7 months I can finally sleep through the mornings and it feels great !!

Since I developed T I was not able to fall asleep after waking up early in the morning if I had to go to the bathroom. I would go back to bed and just lay in bed and wait 'til the alarm clock would go off. It was very frustrating and I thought I would have never been able to go back to sleep again in the morning, or have a "siesta" in the afternoon…

Well, I have just realized that since a couple of weeks I am able to fall back asleep independently of my T…

So habituation does work with a bit of time, patience and acceptance…

Just thought to share a little good news in here

Best of luck to all and have a great week !!!

Lorenzo

 

[Blair14]

@Lorenzo74

Good for you, so happy for you. I am trying to be patient too. I am three days off sleeping pills, get only 4 hours sleep straight, and two more hours over a 10 hour period, using relaxation thru music and imagery. Long ways to go.

 

[Lorenzo74]

Hi Blair14..

Sorry to hear about your sleeping pattern.. What I think helped me to "habituate" in the mornings was the fact that before T I used to meditate a lot, and so when I would find myself laying in bed without being able to sleep I would just try and enter into a meditative state, concentrating on my breathing and try and accept the sound rather than fight it or trying to ignore it or mask it..

Don't know if it would work with all types of T and people, but meditation has helped me to stay calm, lower my anxiety and be more acceptant to it all… Also meditation teaches on a deeper level that all is "impermanent", all is changing constantly, and this thought helps me to deal with T on a daily basis…

I really wish for you to be able to have some good nights sleep soon !!! We all deserve it

Stay positive !!!!

 

[Barrowww]

Thank you for the meditation advice. I used to meditate a lot too before T, but now I just can't make it. Guess I'll have to try, even it's far from the meditative state I used to know... I'll be trying.

 

[Lorenzo74]

Hi Barrowww,

I understand you very well… Before T came into my life I went to a 10 days silent meditation retreat, and was enjoying meditating a lot… Then T came along and at the beginning it was so difficult and thinking I would not have been able to feel that silent meditation feeling anymore..

Then slowly slowly I have gone back into it… It is not the same as when there was silence in my head, but I do realize that the more I meditate the more I accept it…

I am thinking of going to another 10 days silent retreat and see what could happen to my T… I think it would be hard the beginning, but I entertain the thought that it may well go away by the end of the 10 days…

If I will go I will keep posting here my reaction to it…

Everything changes all the times, I don't see why my T should not go away as well..

Best of luck to you too with your T !!!

 

[Blair14]

@Lorenzo74

How do you meditate with the T, with no background music I presume? (concentrating on my breathing and accept the sound) I want to try it, but having a screaming day today, I am just tolerating, not anxious for the most part, just tolerating. Trying not to react. I think my sleep will come around. I have time and no worries of work because I am now on short term disability and don't expect I'll be able to go back. So I am expecting my sleep will come around even if I have to rely on masking with a sound pillow. At least if I stay off the sleeping pills I only have an anti-depressant to take. I hate meds.

 

[Marlene]

Hi Blair not seen you on site past few days ,meditation is great ,it's best treatment I know of for stressful T .ive been unwell past few days ,so it's been hard to meditate ,but will get back into it once I'm okay .
Some times it's easier to start in a group of meditators as I did ,found them by sheer fluke talking to an old friend and chatting ,meditation came up ,she asked if I'd like to join group,7/9 of us .Honest Blair can't say how much I got out of that weekly group .Got me through MRI machine some few months down the line ,and my anxiety was on the roof .
Lots do meditation ,someone maybe where you live will know of such a group,just ask around ,if they know your looking ,they're soon let you know .Go try it ,that will drop anxiety down for sure,I always came home ,so much chilled out .
Then just set aside some you time every day ,to do it .Background meditation music ,always in a quiet area .No phone ,no clock ticking etc just quiet ,once shown how to do it ,you can do it anywhere,anytime ,it calms your mind ,which with T is always going if high ,or with me to low as well.So ask around Blair.
Oh yes will help you sleep ,can meditate in bed ,I do if ears are playing up .20/30 mins ,I'm out like a light .X

 

[Blair14]

Hi Marlene,

I was not on the past few days and then saw Dan's post and before my anxiety started I decided I best not stay on here for a bit. I feel bad for Dan and the others who new Craig, and I see Martin is having a really bad time of it too with his own stuff.

I haven't seen a group, I downloaded some youtube meditation stuff, but not used it yet. Slowly trying to integrate one or two things a week. I had one calm day last been, me not the T and the next day it came back like a LION. I am hopefully on a Mindfulness Workshop for 8 weeks, once a week for a couple hours. Hopefully helpful. I'm not sure if I mentioned I have to wait until May 2015 to see a psychiatrist! I did acupuncture and NBF back to back and it was too much, but they said my brain is adapting to the training, no difference in the T, but has reduced my anxiety and overload in my brain. Sensitivity I was experiencing H? doesn't seem as bad.
I'll have to add it at night as an option for your to the imagery and diaphragmatic breathing I been trying to be conscious of and recognizing what to do if I notice the first sign of anxiety.

 

[Marlene]

Glad to see you back,really pleased you've finally getting on that course ,you will get the benefit long run ,but go with it .Make sure you attend every one of them Blair. So stay cold free ,flu free etc Martin would get the benefit by what your doing .Go with the intention you will gain from it .Mindfulness is basically meditation .The more you can do ,to get upper hand on this damn anxiety. Which I believe hold people back ( some ) to getting feeling better in regards to T .Good on you,you've made that start .
No surprise on the next years appointment ,your health service as bad as ours ,time wise .doesnt help you hey ,a week suffering this is a week to long .i do think anxiety is a crippler ,been there loads of times since that virus hit me .you freeze up with it ,you don't socialise ,turns your life upside down .your brain goes on overload .Its what it does ,fear of the unknown .
Were get there Blair ,Baby steps they may be .Take up any offer of help.yes when you feel it welling up ,go distract yourself .Dont let it run you .Hope it all goes good for you .dont forget ask around about med groups ,your Drs surgery may know of a group ,as so many out there with anxiety ,for various reasons ,who use Drs surgeries .

 

[Blair14]

Well, I guess I wasn't clear, I'm on a waitlist for January for that course. I am doing a 13 wk group CBT and a 5 wk change way course once a week. I am getting some perspective, but only two weeks in on each. I don't understand, my anxiety is way down but my T is fluctuating. I even had ear flutters in one ear a couple nights ago. I feel more settled, but still no improvement. Trying to take it day by day, and when I hear it loud, put my head down, try to tolerate it, limit my reaction and press on.

 

[Marlene]

No Blair I didn't read it right ,sat here reading with allergy eyes ,never good .Ive done 2 CBT courses ,one the second year after that bug,last one 2 years ago ,the lady taking the one to one suffered anxiety herself ,that helped me ,as she fully understood .
Never heard ear flutters ,well don't think I have ,I know if I turn my head left ,my left ear goes a noise I've not heard before ,it comes back normal ? But frightens life out of me as it's so quick ,so I'm wary of neck turning ,had it few times now .Have you got a local TA group .you could join .

 

[Blair14]

Oh boy, allergy too! I am trying to look at this from a chronic illness approach, rather than just a T approach, how do everyone else deal with a something that is life changing. I know of a gentleman who had both his legs amputated, I can't imagine how he deals with that! Just lean heavily on the Lord I guess. No, no support group around here. TT is it for me.

 

[Marlene]

Got perennial rhinitis ,had this for 9 yrs ,had skin test done at hospital ,can't find what allergy is,but I've suffered from eczema from a kid so I'm stuck with it .My surgeon last year mentioned my allergies,even E Mailed my dr about it he did .Nothing done Blair .so with that and T ,i get pretty fed up with the coping needed with it all .
Lots on TT struggle with health issues besides T .
Yes it's hard to see how the disabled cope ,must get heck of lot of pain to deal with .
How do people cope with anything ? I've no answer Blair ,you just wing it and pray it works .

 

[Lorenzo74]

Hi Blair14,

I don't like meds too…

There is a great app called "Insight Timer".. There you can also find guided meditations, or you can just set a time and a bell and meditate with it, together with the other app users Kind of a little community, a bit like here..

I agree with what Marlene said about meditation and its benefits for people dealing with T… and about finding a meditation group… or maybe just start one yourself… I used to have a meditation group and we would meet once a week for an hour group meditation… It was really nice…

Hope you all improve your T situation soon !!