Snowdrop's journal

[sanmagic7]

dear snowdrop, those pile-ups of one thing, then another on top, and another and they all make each other worse is absolutely awful.  as one past member would always remind us - breathe, then breathe again.  it's helped me many times to recall her words.  i hope they help you, too.  if not, know you are cared about.  love and hugs

[CactusFlower]

Gentle hugs if you want them, snowdrop. As someone whose CPTSD symptoms and stress make my fibromyalgia pain, fatigue, and sleep dysfunction even worse, I totally hear you about how our mind affects our body. It can be very tiring, having so much to manage all the time.

[Snowdrop]

Hello everyone .

I've not been here for a few months. I went through quite a rough patch earlier in the year, and it felt as though all I could do was keep putting one foot in front of another, or simply stay still. I wanted to post, but I just couldn't.

I think I've been post-viral for about a year. Part of it has been brain fog, and it's felt as though I've just not been able to do things. The good news is that this month, the fog has started lifting. I have to take it gently, but it's like I can do things again.

I've often thought of my friends here, and wanted to say that I care.

[Hope67]

Hi Snowdrops,
I missed you, and glad you are ok    I am so glad to hear that your post-viral fatigue has started to lift - hope you have some gentle things over the weekend, and enjoy the things you do.

Sending you a hug 
Hope 

[Blueberry]

Hello Snowdrop,
I thought I hadn't seen your name for a long time!
It's great to hear that the fog is lifting

[rainydiary]

I'm glad you are here. 

[Not Alone]

So good to hear from you. I've missed you. I'm sorry that things have been so difficult.

[Snowdrop]

Hope, Blueberry, Rainy and Not Alone - thank you. I appreciate your words and the hugs. Thank you for being there.

While I was away, one of the things I found helpful was an online course on the vagus nerve, meridians and acupressure points. It helped to calm down my jangling nervous system and give me relief.

I thought I'd mention one of the exercises because it usually calms me down within a few seconds, and I don't know if others might find it helpful too. All you do is take the tip of your middle finger, and gently place it in the hollow behind your ear lobe. You do this on both sides at once, so your right finger goes behind your right ear, and the left finger goes behind the left. You don't need to press, just make contact. I usually hold this for a few minutes, and I find it very soothing.

[sanmagic7]

good to see you back, snowdrop.  sounds like you've made some progress for yourself while you were away.  great to hear!  love and hugs   

[Snowdrop]

Thanks, San . Good to be back!

[Bach]

Hi, Snowdrop  Glad you're doing better.  Thank you very much for sharing that exercise.  I'm big into those kinds of exercises.  That's one I haven't seen before.  I have quite a list of those kinds of exercises and because what I respond to varies from day to day, it's always good to have another one to add. 

[Snowdrop]

Thank you, Bach . I saw elsewhere that you've found vagus nerve exercises helpful, so I'm glad I could add another one to the list. I've just started a new journal, so I'll probably add more there: https://cptsd.org/forum/index.php?topic=15028