Desperately trying to recover from being ill. In my current state I’m struggling with my non-stop brain activity. The breathing exercises and how I usually manage my bedtime routine aren’t working
Desperately trying to recover from being ill. In my current state I’m struggling with my non-stop brain activity. The breathing exercises and how I usually manage my bedtime routine aren’t working
I find breathing exercises very difficult - but I found them a bit more helpful when they are part of Qigong as that combines movement with breathing and I find that more helpful. Have you tried Qigong? There’s lots of videos on YouTube that show you how. My other go to things are going for a walk in nature, and listening to music. Music really changes how I feel surprisingly quickly. Also if I can get into a really gripping tv series or film - that really helps. Also long term I’ve been studying/practicing Mindfulness and that’s been super helpful. There’s a Zen Buddhist Master called Thich Nhat Hanh and he’s made a massive difference to my mental health. Again - loads of his talks are on YouTube so lots of free/easily accessible things to learn from - they have a YouTube channel called ‘Plum Village’ and that’s been massively helpful to me (life changing in fact). I hope you’re feeling better soon :)
It really is like when I found out about the significance of Taylor’s track 5 on every album and they were my fave tracks the flappies went cray cray for Tay Tay
I think that’s why I enjoy guitar so much it’s like attacky eorh rhe flappies haha
I listen to it and get flappy hands
That's sweet! Keep on flapping, it's a beautiful thing.
I like to read up about the music as I listen to it and get flappy hands when I resonate with the information and the music i dotn know why but flappy hands make me so happy it’s like they release dopamine levels nothing else can
Fake a smile. I just make a big grinning shape with my mouth when I'm on my own. Seriously. It's backed by science.
This is true - I do this too and it does work.
As an aside, I had a neighbour who tried something similar but with laughing. He tried to start out with loud, extrovert laughs to cheer himself up and it seemed to work for a while, but after a few weeks (we could hear him through the thin walls of the flat) the laughing would slowly shift into crying then almost wailing.
It was quite heartbreaking to hear and while we did ask him if he was OK (without mentioning it explicity to avoid embarrassment) he didn't want to engage in conversation.
He eventually moved out which was a bit of a relief but left me wondering if there was more I could have done.
Sorry, that was a bit of a negative aside, but back to the point - smiling sincerely does help a lot:
https://www.verywellmind.com/top-reasons-to-smile-every-day-2223755
I try to distract myself. In no particular order:
Have you spoken to your GP about this issue?
There is a decent chance they can give you some medication to help you get over the short term spike of anxiety to try to find a healthier balance as the illness issue is resolved.
I imagine anxiety is fuelling the mental state and with all the cortisol sloshing about in your body it will make sleep nearly impossible.
The lack of sleep makes you feel exhausted and that only makes the other issues feel worse, so becomes a self fuelling fire.
That would be my suggestion - break the cycle with the help of your GP.
This might not have been one of your first thoughts ...but have you tried doodling?
Literally all you need is pen / pencil and paper (which makes it easy to do at home or when you sre out somewhere.
Some Autistic people find when they doodle it can be a quiet stim for them and provides an outlet for excess energy.
You do not need to be an artist - maybe abstract designs or geometric patterns might prove to be good beginner doodles - or pick a topic from one of your interests.
The process csn be as repetitive or creative as the mood strikes you.
It can feel helpful in five different ways:
- to aid concentration when you are trying to listen to something,
- as a pleasant and absorbing distraction when you are waiting somewhere in an Autism-uncomfortable environment (like a noisy bus stop, or the waiting room for a medical appointment),
- when you feel "mind busy" and in need of a self-regulation strategy,
- because as you go with your doodle where your mind / emotion takes you; what you doodle csn provide yourself insight on how things are for you at the time (a bit like when people keep a written diary or journal and look back over recent weeks and notice their mood), and
- it can become an interest in its own right or combined with one of your existing interests (some people like to use multi-colour pencil crayons or felt tip pens - others prefer to pick one colour or a few shades of a colour - have an experiment).
There are some reasonably priced colour pens available which have dual ends - with a very fine point at one end a brush-style felt tip the other end - easy to transport and providing more doodling techniques.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owSOgPXXXgo
Have a go - it might surprise you what power pen / pencil and paper can channel towards relaxation.
It’s diffent for everyone for me i focus on learning and on my speical intrests and when im clears Kindes I can focus on work but also let my self time to wind down after work
