Almost everything stresses me out - then I can potentially become symptomatic with either high anxiety-paranoia or more depression or mania/mixed episodes.
Staying in the house alone, going into a public place, eating food in public, riding in an elevator by myself, driving, encountering strangers, socializing, going to doctors, my physical health, doing new things, going to new places … etc …
What am I to do!!! I mean I take my meds … exercise, eat right, practice CBT and DBT - they help a little but not enough.
I am wondering if my dose is too low, and I need to somehow up the dose, most likely on a new AP - I am not tolerating my current AP Risperdal lately.
Richard Wessler (a “name” in the field, see http://store.elsevier.com/product.jsp?isbn=9780127444703&pagename=search) spoke and wrote about “low emotional setpoint” and “high threshold of stimulation” being the earmarks of those who could tolerate a lot of stress. The combo is as much (or more?) “nature” than “nurture,” but can be influenced. Almost everyone has a “breaking point.”
Bruce McEwen (also in Manhattan, and also a “name,” see http://www.nature.com/npp/journal/v22/n2/full/1395453a.html) shows in the paper I just linked how stress affects “allostatic loading” which is a way of determining how much stress a person is “carrying” vs. the person’s genetic and epigentic capacity to bear it.
It’s obvious to anyone who understands Wessler and McEwen that the severity of sz symptoms is highly modulated by stress and allostatic loading.
i had to phone the crisis team couple of nights ago, it was hard and things were getting on top of me, it helped a bit and i managed to get some sleep, she was just chatting with me and taking my mind off of the multitude of things going on in my head, talking about all the good things calmed me down,
tonight i am worried it may happen again, i had a tough day and it started badly, but i need to look at the positive here, i did some work, i found out some things and i met my friends in college, all good things, i even helped a friend in need bc she is a mate,
tonight i am pulling every trick in the book and it seems to be working, chilling me down, i got a new app on my phone different kinds of rain noises, i have it on light rain in the garden lol it is very gentle and calming i love running water, i also have some music on (mumford and sons) and i lit a couple of candles, its very calming, mellow, relaxing, bringing me back to reality and squaring me up.
Break something you don’t like too much or are tired of. Be sure to wear your safety glasses. It’s considered therapeutic in some places, like Japan. It was on a TV program.
Lol story of my life. (Anxiety disorder)You gotta fight everything. Do even the things that really stress you out. It’s like standing at the edge of a really high diving board, you can’t think about it you just have to jump. CBT helped me recognize my negative thought patterns so I could ignore them and jump.
Fighting the anxiety is the best way to overcome it. I’ve already managed to reduce my stress levels around many things with CBT tactics.
Body scanning was the very first mindfulness meditation I was taught years ago in one of the large group awareness trainings I attended. I’ve used it (when I thought of it) ever since. Over time (and with the addition of other mindfulness meditations), the method has automated itself so that I am now able to do it very quickly and keep my mind’s eye on my body to reduce stress, drink fluids when I should, chill out, etc. I even got “hooked up” enough that I can see what Wessler and McEwen wrote about going on in my body… and take appropriate action upon it. Great stuff.
I’ve also learned to associate the feelings of stress with a scene from an old Warner Brothers Daffy Duck cartoon in which this hook on a long pole comes out from the side of a stage and yanks Daffy off. “Too much stress? Take yourself off the stage!”
One therapist told me to break old dishes in the backyard when I got angry. I did that for a while. The police came to my backyard to take away a monster cat I had captured in a havahart cage. They noticed the broken dishes and I explained. It was embarrassing. As usual, no comment from the police. If you’re going to break something. make sure you do it in a safe area.
the only thing I could suggest is what I had to do once…
look at what stresses you out and maybe give it a 1 through 10 number. Try and do the low number activities first and then work up to some of the harder ones.
Yes… I had the help of meds… I can imagine how stressful this would all be with out meds. Are there some things on the list that cause slightly less stress then other things?
I hope things get back to level for you soon. Good luck
Hello, I use it too, every day. Since I have been practicing mindfulness my ability to hold attention has dramatically increased. My life is continually changing for the better. My awareness is growing all the time. D x
I am practicing mindfulness techniques and deep breathing, guided imagery etc… it all helps a little.
I am in the process of weaning off one of my meds - Lamictal it might be contributing to my anxious state
take a notebook with you…so for example when you go into a shop…you then afterwards ’ tick ’ of your experience…e.g:
how did you feel …normal…stressed…angry…paranoid etc…
did people treat you with kindness…or where they angry…or where they sad…and more importantly was that really to do with you or their own problems…
by writing down honestly your experiences on a piece of paper…whether you go for a walk, go to the shop etc…we get to see what the actual trigger is.
continueing to do this you can see a pattern…then work on the weak ’ link ’ in the pattern of behaviour
take care
bunny hug.
i love running water, i also have some music on (mumford and sons) and i lit a couple of candles, its very calming, mellow, relaxing, bringing me back to reality and squaring me up.
It’s the only way I can relax - or have a cup of coffee 
hug.