More Positivity Coming From This BB Going Forward

I have learned an important lesson from a neighbor of mine who is a Neuroscientist and who has been working with me through my recovery.  I had a session with her yesterday, and she reminded me that it is not helpful for me or others going through the same recovery process to focus on the negative aspects of this unique healing process.  This is very hard when everything shouts negativism and the pain and suffering is so bad.  However, I will strive going forward to speak from a place of positivity and calm, even when the storm is raging about me.

 

So Negative Nan will now be known as Positive Paula.

 

Hugs and Healing My BB Friends

 

 

 

I will add to this. Although I have the fears, like everyone, I can see how far I’ve come over eight months.

 

I only wake up once at night and rarely with much anxiety. I sleep 6-8 hours!

 

My chemical anxiety went from 11+ to 6 - much better!

 

I still get to feel 100% myself for a few hours at night.

 

If things continue this way, in a few more months, I’ll feel even better.

 

Hugs to all.

 

Thanks, Fluff, for hopping on the positivity bandwagon!  Before you know it, we will be clapping each on the back, dancing the happy dance, and celebrating life on the other side

 

Healing hugs always!

 

GG

I  love this, Positive Paula

 

My positive is I used to be a nervous driver,  hating right turns,( UK left hand drive) . If a busy time of day I would do anything to avoid

 

Now I seem to have gained confidence

 

It's totally illogical that  I can be terrified of almost everything but the thing I was nervous about before has gone,

 

Strange but true

 

Jen 

 

 

Awww, this is such a nice thread, thank you PP for starting it!  We can all use a reminder about how much better we off we are trying to focus on the positive rather than the negative.  And I feel so much better when I am committed to staying positive.

 

Kate   

This is so very encouraging. We all need this! My positive is I'm over 1 year out now so I should be turning a corner anytime soon. Love the idea of staying positive it is very good for our soul. Thank you!

 

LiveLife

Dear positive Paula

 

My positive is even tho I am so sleep deprived some days I can still drive, walk, cuddle my kids, and read. I have a roof over my head and a lovely family. I’m lucky xx 💋

Thanks, Positive Paula! It’s so easy to go to the dark side when you are in a wave. I try to remember how much improvement I have made over the last 17 months. My waves are less intense and don’t last as long as they did earlier. I’m grateful for that.

 

Thanks for the positive post!

 

Sandy

Collectively, you are one beautiful group of BBs, and I shall be forever grateful that I have “met” you. 

 

And, the truth of the matter is that there will come a day when we will collectively shout out....I Have Recovered And My Life Is Great!!!!!  Can you just imagine the roar that our voices will create!  They will be heard in the USA, in Australia, Italy, Uganda, France, England....all over the world.

 

Hugs,

 

GG/PP

I cannot wait for that day for all of us xx 😘

Love this thread!!!!

 

My positive is that my garden had exploded with blooms!  There are so many flowers blooming at once I swear the garden is yelling at me to take it all in and just be.....and I shall.

 

 

My positive is I am still here and believing in 100% healing!! Even though I may have Obstructive sleep Apnea according to a home test.

 

PG

Hello, Deanna2020, a fellow BB and, most importantly, a fellow garden guru!  Thank heavens for the nature that surrounds us and for our very own Gardens of Eden🌺🌹🌸.  I find such joy and peace in my gardens, and when I am a little down and out, that is where I go to.

 

I remember in the early spring when the temperature was still quite brisk, I grabbed a blanket, found a spot of sun, and felt content to just Be.  My Chinese doctor always encourages me to get out into the sun and the great outdoors, as it promotes healing from within.  I agree.

 

Hugs,

 

GG/PP

Ok I'll join in...

Before my latest wave, I've been building a chicken coop bit by bit everyday. My brain could not have followed plans like that a year ago. (It an elaborate coop). I feel confident using power tools again. I'm naming it the "poulet palace".

 

Short term memory has greatly improved. There's other stuff but these are the things I'm intentionally celebrating  for myself this month.

Jumping on board. 

Hello, Deanna2020, a fellow BB and, most importantly, a fellow garden guru!  Thank heavens for the nature that surrounds us and for our very own Gardens of Eden🌺🌹🌸.  I find such joy and peace in my gardens, and when I am a little down and out, that is where I go to.

 

I remember in the early spring when the temperature was still quite brisk, I grabbed a blanket, found a spot of sun, and felt content to just Be.  My Chinese doctor always encourages me to get out into the sun and the great outdoors, as it promotes healing from within.  I agree.

 

Hugs,

 

GG/PP

 

Hey GG/PP - You are so fortunate to have a doctor that emphasizes those elements of wellness!  That is truly hard to find in Western medicine.  And what I wouldn't give to have a neuroscientist next door!!!! 

Collectively, you are one beautiful group of BBs, and I shall be forever grateful that I have “met” you. 

 

And, the truth of the matter is that there will come a day when we will collectively shout out....I Have Recovered And My Life Is Great!!!!!  Can you just imagine the roar that will create!  It will be heard in the USA, in Australia, Italy, Uganda, France, and England to name a few. 

 

Hugs,

 

GG/PP

 

I can almost hear it already!!!!

One of my fav BB’s is, of course, a PP!  You always were a PP, GG!  😆

 

This is a wonderful reminder though of how the positive propels us forward.  My positive today is so simple yet profound: I SLEPT 7 HOURS LAST NIGHT!  It wasn’t broken sleep and it is the longest stretch I have had since this nightmare began.  I refuse to acknowledge the negative today of how my body is feeling because knowing something so big, so important, so darned normal happened needs to be the focus. 

 

Healing hugs to you all.  We are getting there.

Oh thank you for the reminder

Thanks, Garden.  Positivity is a game changer.  I am continuing to heal; not perfectly, but steadily.    Month 15 off ambien and not drinking is coming up and I am doing so much better than I was even two months ago.  We will heal!  We will heal! 

GG,

 

Thanks for starting this topic. It's a good one.

 

You must have read my mind. I have been trying to do more "Mindfulness", positive thinking, thoughts of gratitude, and positive affirmations for the last few weeks. What I noticed at first is how bad I am at it lol. I'm getting better at it, mostly because I'm darn tired of thinking negatively.

 

I'm bad at it because I have these thoughts of the "worst case scenario" thinking. Most of us do to some extent in this type of recovery because we have been traumatized, therefore we expect the worse.

 

I didn't realize until I tried the "Mindfulness" how my mind tells myself throughout the day: "Don't do this or that cuz you'll pay for it later." Here's some examples of my own judging on myself that I catch myself doing:

 

"Don't shower today if you want the energy to do anything else."

"Don't watch TV or you'll get dizzy."

"Avoid the outdoors because it's too hot."

"Don't have a phone call with that friend because they are too stressful and I'm too sick."

 

Sometimes these things can be a lot for me, but not ALL of the time. It's just not as bad as I make it out to be. I mean seriously. I've been going through this for two years. I've talked to friends. It didn't kill me. I've watched TV. I've been outside on a sunny day. I've obviously showered in the last two years. Lol. Just because I may have struggled with these things here and there before on a bad day, does not mean I will ALWAYS struggle with them, but my "withdrawal brain" would keep me dirty & unshowered if I let it ! Lol!

 

I sometimes catch myself telling myself such things throughout the day. It's negative and stressful and not good for a healing person. In short, I'm catastrophizing.

 

I'm also catching myself doing this on my good days too. The "worse case scenario negative thinking." I have to stop myself and say: "It's a beautiful day. I'm safe. I feel amazing. I'm in my garden... on my computer working etc...there's nothing threatening happening here."

 

I also thought about this today. I know symptoms can get bad, especially early on in withdrawal, but now they pass in a few hours, especially for me at this point in the game. When I get that catastrophic thinking, what is it really that I'm afraid of the most ?? Needing the ER? Feeling faint? Severe vertigo? But, realistically how often have I had symptoms so bad that I needed to go to the ER? Or felt faint? About 6 or 7 times total in two years. All but about 2 of these incidents occured during acute. What I'm saying is what I'm negatively thinking about is a worse case scenario that in the over all picture, rarely happens.

 

Yes, it's scary when it gets that severe, but if it happens only 3 times a year on average (and it will stop happening altogether as I recover more) why am I wasting the other 362 days worrying it will get that bad when statistically it won't? I'm wasting those other 362 days worrying about something that most likely isn't going to happen. Yes, when I have a span of a few bad days it's awful, but it's rarely as awful as my mind falsly predicted it would be. Then to top it off I spend my good days thinking the worse. My poor brain, heart and soul rarely gets a break. This is also why it's good to take breaks from the forums and boards. We're all rooting for each other, and we'll all get there. We will all heal, but it's like "watching a pot boil" and that's not good.

 

I can be sitting in my flower garden, with my doggy playing ball, sun on my face and I enjoy it, don't get me wrong it's not constant stupid thinking, but it's there....the negativity creeps in.

 

That's where Cognitive Behavioral Therapy comes into play & Mindfulness. We're a bit traumatized, therefore it takes some practice.

 

..... But I'll tell ya what, I want to enjoy my garden, the sun, my dog instead of wondering: "Hmmm, why did I feel faint back in January." -  (5 frickin months ago!)  Or "Hmm wonder why that dizzy spell came on 2 weeks ago." I'm so tired of thinking that way. I'm so tired of thinking negative.

 

This topic you posted is perfect timing. I believe it takes practice and effort to get away from our trauma way of thinking and to enjoy the beautiful day that's right in front of us. It's well worth it to work hard at it.

 

I gotta let go of all that negative thinking, take a deep breath, let it go, and take in the beautiful day that's right in front of me.

Garden

 

You are such a positive influence here - thank you! Today is tough for me but the positive is I'm one day closer to healing. May we all find the pot of gold at the end of this rainbow.

GG,

I am only 5 weeks into my taper and have issues like everyone but I do like to focus on the positive, so thank you! My symptoms are manageable and, for that, I am grateful. I have been struggling and got some unexpected sleep last night.

 

Thanks again:)

 

HM

Hi Gardenguru,

 

The team recognizes how a positive attitude can be good for our health, in fact, we added this to our guidelines recently in an effort to foster positivity. 

• [*]Be polite towards, and respectful of, your fellow Buddies. We do not tolerate attacks upon fellow members. Any account created for the purposes of causing arguments and/or ill-feeling will be banned.

[*]In keeping with our Mission Statement, the key principles of peer support include: shared responsibility; respect; empathy towards others; and positivity.

 

We've been trying to get a new board up and running and this post and your new attitude are just what we're looking for to populate it!  Coping: Philosophical Approaches

 

I hope you and anyone who has commented on your post will help us steer the forum and our members toward better health by contributing to our new board. 

I have learned an important lesson from a neighbor of mine who is a Neuroscientist and who has been working with me through my recovery.  I had a session with her yesterday, and she reminded me that it is not helpful for me or others going through the same recovery process to focus on the negative aspects of this unique healing process. 

 

This really stood out to me:

 

"Unique Healing Process"

 

It is unique indeed. That's why most other people really don't understand it, but I guess what really matters is that WE understand it.

 

It is unique. Most of us expect it to subside like most other illnesses. It doesn't work that way. It takes a whole other kind of self care. Since it can create fear: "fear of never getting better", "fear of doing too much", "fear of sensitivities" - this can keep the negative thinking going. Despite what our "withdrawal brains" tell us, trying our best to stay positive will only help.