[SecretGarden]

I have so much crapola running around in my head that I just need to release and quit thinking about. How is this done? I have meds, etc.... but still.

In order to get better I have to put some stuff aside and it seems pretty glued in there.

Anybody got any way to release this schtuff? I am serious. It is stuck.....and so am I.

I was to be better by now.

[ErinBear]

Hi Secret Garden,

Have you tried journaling, and does that help at all for you? One thing that helps some people, including me at times, is to write down something(s) that bothers you, and even journal quite a bit about it if you wish. Then have a special place to put it...maybe in a box....or folded in a book or locked in a file drawer....and symbolically shut those things away for now. If you start thinking of it again, you can remind yourself that it's shut away, out of bounds, and you need to think of something else, that you're giving the topic a rest. Sometimes I've also written about something that's really troubling me, and then ripped up the pages, and that has helped me to put it out of my mind, or sort of "change course" with my thinking for awhile.

Another thing which can help is distraction. Sometimes getting busy with other tasks and projects can help, whether that is visiting with friends, playing solitaire, cleaning your home, going for a walk, doing some volunteer work, doing crafts.....or whatever other things you choose. Sometimes those things work for me, and I know these types of things help for others I know, too.

Sorry it's a hard time. I hope things will start looking up for you soon.

Take care,
ErinBear

Is the glued in stuff something that can be unglued in therapy? Or is it hindering the real work you want to do in therapy?

[SecretGarden]

Thank you Erin Bear....Those are some fine ideas. I have journaled ....and sometimes that scares me for letting things out but ....let me think more.

Pink... Part of this is anger at Pdoc and many crappy things that have happened at one time.... or sinse January I suppose. Meds are questionable or not kicking in as quick as he might have anticipated. I am needing to sleep. Have lost 40 lbs..thank my parents for dinners and scarey thoughts come up. Incredible anxiety.... yes even with meds. This all sucks.

[SecretGarden]

I have to trust my pdoc to assist me. He has been wonderful despite an earlier faux pas. My own anger.... is my own hindrance. I miss sleeping like a regular soul.

[tranquility]

Hi secret -

What has helped me is meditation. If I listen to a tape of someone else talking then their words fill my head instead of what is in my head.

The other thing my hypnotherapist did with me was to pretend I was walking through the woods with a back pack. As I walked I started to take any negative thought or idea and put it in the back pack. When I got to the edge of the woods the pack was real heavy and I was struggling. Then at the edge their was a big field with flowers and in the field was a hot air balloon. I had to walk to the balloon and inside it was a metal lock box. I got the key and opened it and it was empty, so I started taking all those negative things out of the pack and put it in the box.

When I was done I untied the ropes and the balloon floated away with all my problems.

It worked pretty good - even if it's for awhile it's a nice break.

Tranq

[lauren_helene]

Hey Secret how about scrapbooking? I'm starting my own project a book about my emotional journey from my earliest memory to now...that will be some book when it is done eh?

I'm finding it therapeutic...I'm sorry you are feeling bad

[sunrise]

SG, it is so nice to see you here again. (((hugs))) I am on vacation and this will probably be the only time I get to check in this week, so I am glad I saw your post.

Here are some things that have helped me:
--Journal about the topics that are making me anxious and I am spending too much time thinking about
--talk to a friend about the problems, get them "out there" and verbalized. this can relieve some of my need to think about them
--talk to my therapist about the issues in question
--do EMDR with my therapist. Not appropriate for all issues, but can help one process events and get unstuck
--give myself "permission" to obsess/think about one aspect of an anxiety producing topic but not the rest of it. For example, recently my husband and I met together with each of our divorce lawyers in a 4 way meeting. It was a big deal and I was very anxious and scared. I was afraid I would be intimidated by my husband's lawyers and many other things about this meeting made me anxious and were keeping me up nights in anticipation. To keep from obsessive thinking, I gave myself permission to obsess about one relatively benign feature of the upcoming meeting--who would sit where. So whenever I started thinking and worrying about the meeting, I would make myself switch to thinking about who would sit where at the meeting. I went through all the possible scenarios: husband and lawyer across the table from me and my lawyer, who is opposite who, whould I be on the right or left (problem for me since I don't hear well out of one ear), etc etc. This really helped me. My mind needed to obsess/worry about something, like a dog chewing on a bone. Any chewing helped satisfy my need to worry, but I didn't get overwrought worrying about all the other stuff associated with the meeting, just who would sit where. Does this make sense? Maybe I'm just weird that this would be helpful to me...

Best of luck.

[January]

Hi Secret Garden,

When I was a young teenager, my Mother found my journal and read it to the neighbors. I was the laughing stock of the community thanks to her. So, I have problems journaling.

Here is an idea that I think might help. If you can bring yourself to journal about these things, do so and then put the pages in a shredder. You've got the feelings out, maybe discovered some new truths and then destroyed the pages that describes the pain. I hope this helps you.

I wish you the very best in your journey.

Hugs,

Jan

[SecretGarden]

Thanks everybody. These are great ideas. This morning I tried the backpack in the balloon. Oh what a journey.

I also do like the partial obsession thing... I will need to work on that. That might be good for how I will deal with the session. There is too much to cover.

Sunrise...thanks for missing me. I enjoy you too.

This eve my mom called and had taken my dad to the e.r.. Well I just could not deal with one more thing. I did drive up to the entrance....and asked someone to get my mom as I could see her through the window. How embarrassing but the plate is so full. I hope to be better soon. Luckily (I hope) they got tired of waiting and went home and will go to the doc first thing in the morning.

I just am full...... know what I mean? Drugs assist though and I ended up doing a bit of swimming.... oddly enough. Mom said she did not think anyone should stay with them. THat helped me a bit but typically I would have been there to assist. Just gotta let it go..... yet another thing.

[MissCharlotte]

Secret,

I hope by now you are feeling a little better? Yes, I understand that full feeling oh too well. It's hard or impossible to try new things when feeling like that. I have been rereading chapters of "When things Fall Apart" by Pema Chodron and am finding it so helpful and inspiring.

I wish you could find your way back here, I miss you. Take gentle care of you.