Detox!

So I'm nearing the end of a rather hard semester. I have papers to finish writing and turn in, note cards to finish typing and indexing (?), and finals to prepare for. I am starting to feel rather clouded by all the stuff I have to do to maintain a good gpa. I have ocd tendencies and suffer from anxiety. I always expect 150% from myself and failure is not something I take very gracefully when it I'm talking about myself. So needless to say I am wound up tighter than snare drum.

Anyone have any advice on detox from my self inflicting ways? Remedies, teas, meditation techniques, stones, herbs, mantras.. I really need to clear all this mental clutter so I can focus and end this semester on a positive note.

Hopeful and appreciative,
-T.

Hi tongodiva! I too tend to get so anxious and overwrought about things. Anxiety has always been a problem for me, sometimes to the point where I have difficulty eating because I literally feel so sick and exhausted.

Two things my therapist advised me on was one: Imagine the things you are dealing with as though you are out of your body and watching them happen. Instead of living them, taking them all on, look at it all as though it is happening to someone else and you are a casual observer. Refer to yourself in third person even and treat the obsessive, ruminating thoughts that way. Like "now she wants a coke, now she is thinking about her paper, now she is thinking about how she can't get it all done, etc."
Secondly, she told me that play is important. Instead of being all business all the time, pay attention to what you wear, what you eat, etc. Look to add some fun, some play, into your life. Pretend you know nothing about the world and approach things with a fresh view this way.

Hope this helps! A book she recommended that has really helped me is Hugh Prather's "The little book of letting go"
Wishing you the best!

Third person sounds like a good move! I have difficulty stepping out of myself like that sometimes so this will definitely help.

I do a lot of grounding but have never really thought about helping it out with stones or minerals so I was wondering if there were some 'anchor' stones out there that will help me focus. I love grounding but it's been so hectic lately I can't seem to find time to breathe. Bleh.

My grandmother is a wiz with herbs but I don't want to talk to her about it because she is very ill and I know she'll worry about me. I'll be lucky if she stays with us through the end of the year :S I always find 'manzanilla' calming though.

Thank you so much for your advice! I'll look up the book and I'll try that 3rd person exercise

Outie for the Night,
-T.

Hi tongodiva...


try Bach's Rescue Remedy. It's great for anxiety and jitters just before a test. You'll find it at the health food store. Hh

i am very much like you T, i try to meditate but i am too highly strung to sit still. so instead i like to go for a run to clear my head, or have a bath with insense and bubbles or epsom salts...if forces me to focus on nothing and just relax.

i am also a heavy list writer, i feel more organise if i write things down, even if they dont make sense to anyone else.

Hmmmm bath. I miss those. I don't have a bathtub where I'm at right now *sight* if i did I would so be there with candles salts and lorenna mckennit

Exercise..ugh But you're right it might just do the trick! I need to release this energy somehow! I'm at the point where I'm waking up with strained shoulders and tense muscles.

As for the lists...that would just put me on a higher stress level I see all that I have to do and start wondering how I'm gonna do it all 'perfect' before the end of the world. My therapist told me to take things in installments Which kind of seems to work but then I get stressed about that too! I'm impossible I know... which is why I'm now turning to the more spiritual side of things.

Might anyone have any other suggestions having to do with meditation/grounding techniques, anchoring stones, herbal teas infusions or poultices?

214red said:

i am very much like you T, i try to meditate but i am too highly strung to sit still. so instead i like to go for a run to clear my head, or have a bath with insense and bubbles or epsom salts...if forces me to focus on nothing and just relax.
i am also a heavy list writer, i feel more organise if i write things down, even if they dont make sense to anyone else.

Click to expand...

Somewhere here on AT, there is a post about meditating and moving: it is meant to be great for we highly strung people. Will try to find it.

Awesome! I'm looking forward to it Now...off to school!

Tittering T.

I have to say that the list writing actually does help. I do one every week. I'm easily overwhelmed with everything I have to do, not that I do much, and keeping the list cuts down on my anxiety. This way you have it all written down so you needn't keep it going around in your head. Then you can check off the things you've already done and push back the ones that aren't all that important.

It especially helps me when I have to clean the house. I get overwhelmed thinking of every little thing. Once it's written down I can take it in steps and move things to different days. Also, I don't sit there and think about all I have to do. It helps me a lot. I thought it would make me more anxious but it doesn't.

I've used Valerian Root and Kava Kava for helping me relax, also Chamomile tea works wonderfully to get me to sleep on those nights when my brain won't turn off. I don't know about stones but I do use aromatherapy, anything lavender.

You could also start a program to bring yourself to a relaxed state. It takes some time and you have to stick with it. I began years ago and can now will myself into that state just by listening to a certain song.

If you are wanting to meditate I suggest starting with guided meditations. You can search the net for free ones. These are easier to do since there is someone talking to you the whole time. They can also be used to program yourself. If you want more info, I'd be glad to share how to program.

Also, I do a lot of yoga. You should be able to find some stuff on youtube I bet. Just holding the poses while having a nice cd on really clears my head and I don't have to run!

And, when worse comes to worse, I try to remember that no one will die if I'm not absolutely perfect. You can even pick a person to add to the mantra. "Nobody cares if I'm absolutely perfect." And, the fact is, no one will notice but you. So give yourself a break already!