Can't think straight...headaches,fast breathing

[Just]

What to do, when your in a spin.? Please anyone? Flight mode 

[Just]

70% of people show growth in....studies say. After trauma recovery. I just want to see some. It's been years.  Just havubg a bd night. But trauma, bad stuff. Doesn't make me Stronger.

[Ainjoule]

Hey @Just I can hear that you are struggling right now. Do you think a grounding exercise like 5,4,3,2,1 might help? The 54321 (or 5, 4, 3, 2, 1) method is a grounding exercise designed to manage acute stress and reduce anxiety. It involves identifying 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste. Is it anxiety that you are feeling? Perhaps some people might have other suggestions about how they manage it.

[MJG017]

@Just

I know you say it's been years so it hasn't made you stronger.  But I see it as you've been fighting it for years, still fighting it so it has definitely made you stronger.  Trauma can take a long time to recover from and it's so easy to give up.  Even just sharing here shows you haven't so I honestly feel that shows a lot of strength in itself.

So don't worry about being strong... you are strong!  Focus that stress on healing yourself and hopefully these bad nights start to improve for you soon.

[SkySeeker22]

Hi @Just 

I'm sorry to hear that you are having such a hard time at the moment.  Trauma can affect us in so many different ways and these can be different for everyone.  Its not great that you are experiencing these things right now, but I do think its great that you have been able to identify that it is trauma that is affecting your body.  Some people don't have that understanding of their mind and body, so you must be very in tune with whats going on for you.

I agree that trauma itself doesn't make us stronger... trauma makes us traumatised.  Its how we deal with it that makes us stronger. Even though you might not feel it right now, you sound like a very strong person to me, being able to identify things that are going on in your body because of the trauma and reaching out to us here on the forums.

When we are in the middle of something I think its hard to recognise the changes that have occurred in you, and that you have grown on your journey after the trauma and in your recovery.  I am still on that journey myself (and it has taken many years) and I have only recently started seeing the changes in myself that other people have been saying they can see in me for some time.  I think its a journey in itself to be able to have that inward reflection about yourself, but it sounds like you are already well on the way to that.

I used to experience the "spin" quite regularly.  As @Ainjoule mentioned the 5,4,3,2,1 grounding technique is good for reducing stress and anxiety.  But for me it became not enough as I used it so often it was hard for me to be able to get away from my go to see, touch, hear etc things (this may have been because I was always in the same places!) and I would always have the same things in mind.  To change this for my brain I would change it to colours.  So I would try and find 5 blue things, 4 green things etc. Having to seek out different objects in my environment really helped my with bringing myself into my surroundings. It might be worth giving either of these techniques a try and see if they help you... and you can always reach out to the community here for more ideas too.  I'm sure other members will have other ideas and strategies of whats worked for them in the past.

Stay strong - you are strong!

Warm regards

SkySeeker22

[Just]

@SkySeeker22  @MJG017 @Ainjoule  thanks for all your help. Everyone on this site, looking out for each other, gives me " hope" for a better day. Skyseeker I really appreciate the heart felt info. Yes, all very relivent. I did get sick of the 5 senses. To bring back. I get stuck needing to push myself. To understand myself and then getting stuck in the loop of reaction to the triggers I'm trying so hard. Writing so much. Need a break....But I just also want to have it behind me. To not have to be doing constant "work on myself" . I'm ok now. Just breathe I tell myself. I go back to basics. I just need to eat healthy. Rest. And try again. From @Just @SkySeeker22 

[Just]

Thanks will try to do more. Have let it slip a bit.

[Just]

@MJG017 thanks, you wrote some good stuff. So I do feel better. Just upset stomach now. And tension all over. But that's normal. Lots of deep breathing and slowly step by step. Thanks again. Tried out a new book by Dr Paul Conti called Trauma.   .... Can't remember what came after that. But it was good . Keeping up the (curiosity) as he puts it in his book and learning all the time. 

[tyme]

Heya @Just ,

I was passing through and just wanted to check in with you to see how you are going?

Hope things are a little better.

[Just]

👍@tyme thanks for the support.