Trigger Warning (descriptions of storms, thunder, lightning, mentions of thoughts of self harm)
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Hey so its been storming fairly bad at my house for the whole day since about 1pm. And my ptsd is acting up. Does anyone have any ideas to how to distract my mind? Or how to cope with this. My mind is automatically going to self harm. And i don't want to.
1 Heart
Someone recommended a weighted vest. They have them for pets during storms as well. I taught my son to count seconds after lightening flash to determine # of miles away. Watch Sound of Music film. ;) Funny movies? Meditation is a good practice if you lose power, to try to calm your thoughts. Self harm is serious, please check in with your dr./therapist for more ptsd coping techniques. hotlines listed on this site if needed. Take care of yourself. Avoid stimulants....
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thank you.. i had a weighted blanket but my ex took it when we split. it helped a lot with my flashbacks. its not that i want to self harm its that for years my brain has trained itself that that is what to do. And im in recovery from self harm and several other things.
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deep or gentle pressure massage might help. Could try warm and or cold compresses, end with cold if alternating. disassociation might require some type of reboot to the nervous system with grounding techniques. Gentle music, warm bath.....very sorry you are suffering with this. Sounds extremely difficult.
1 Heart
@andine i normally disassociate on account of the bpd. my therapist said that its my brains natural thing. but currently i am not disassioting and it kinda sucks. I’ve had this for going on three years now and its progressively getting worse. its super complicated and i will most likely have this my whole life.
Have you ever used noise canceling head phones? Does listening to music help?
@Jordan5683 ive never had the opportunity to use them. I have music on right now and am trying to focus on something else. thank you tho