Cactusflower
Beloved Grand Eagle
There are some people who find themselves experiencing physical symptoms and sensations, and some that (also) experience other symptoms which have been found related to TMS - anxiety, depression and also some states of mind as I like to call them: negativity or anger.
Now the anger I'm talking about isn't the type of anger or rage that you feel as an emotional burst of energy that dissipates after sensing the emotion. That's a chemical response in the body that like any emotion, will pass once it's felt. The type of anger I'm talking about is "the angry guy" (or girl!) type of anger where everything is just irritating, you feel very frequent resentments that are hard to let go of, "everyone is out to get you" or "nothing goes my way" and it's an energy that stays in the body along with a loop of thoughts - it's a state of mind and body that is different than an emotion.
Similarly with negativity - although all human brains have a negativity bias (this primitive thing that helps us keep safe), some of us have that dial turned up a bit higher and it can create a lot of intensity in our lives. Again, that pervasive feeling that "nothing goes my way" or a proclivity to remember events in our life we label as negative and once again, this state of mind, however we stumbled into it (which is part of what the SEP helps us discover) can really suck us into a self-victimization role and also create thoughts that not "safe" - they also dial up the fight flight response.
So how do you step into a more reasonable, positive mindset without it being fake "nicey nicey" and get it's hooks into personality traits like people pleasing and goodism that don't always serve us?
Here's a method I found today, and I'm going to try it. It's not that different than the visualization methods that a few TMS specialists and our own deal @BloodMoon suggest, but it's fast and sounds pretty fun, although it could be challenging at first start.
First, find somewhere pleasant or at least not unpleasant to be if you can - a comfy chair, or at work: a quiet office, remote corner and set your phone timer for a minute. Close your eyes and mentally list off (if you are alone, you can even talk these because hearing it is an extra bonus) as many things in your life you've enjoyed: hobbies, people, moments, pets, favorite colors, favorite foods, most loved activities - anything you enjoy or HAVE enjoyed (which is important) in your life. For people who might find a minute of stillness challenging, or find searching for enjoyable things tough right now you could try choosing 5 or 10 things and work up to a minute. When you are done the most important thing is to CONGRATULATE yourself on engaging - just participating in this activity. Do it a few times a week (or daily) and focus on anything enjoyable even if it's stuff on repeat. All you are doing is seeing if your brain can begin to switch the bias to regularly looking for more enjoyable or at least tolerable moments.
Stepping out of so much fear, frustration, intensity, negativity, self-victimization and stepping into a bit more light and power was one of the biggest TMS challenges for me to overcome. I'm going to try this and see if it helps some of my current fears (nothing to do with symptoms) in life and see if it helps me break through to a new level.
Now the anger I'm talking about isn't the type of anger or rage that you feel as an emotional burst of energy that dissipates after sensing the emotion. That's a chemical response in the body that like any emotion, will pass once it's felt. The type of anger I'm talking about is "the angry guy" (or girl!) type of anger where everything is just irritating, you feel very frequent resentments that are hard to let go of, "everyone is out to get you" or "nothing goes my way" and it's an energy that stays in the body along with a loop of thoughts - it's a state of mind and body that is different than an emotion.
Similarly with negativity - although all human brains have a negativity bias (this primitive thing that helps us keep safe), some of us have that dial turned up a bit higher and it can create a lot of intensity in our lives. Again, that pervasive feeling that "nothing goes my way" or a proclivity to remember events in our life we label as negative and once again, this state of mind, however we stumbled into it (which is part of what the SEP helps us discover) can really suck us into a self-victimization role and also create thoughts that not "safe" - they also dial up the fight flight response.
So how do you step into a more reasonable, positive mindset without it being fake "nicey nicey" and get it's hooks into personality traits like people pleasing and goodism that don't always serve us?
Here's a method I found today, and I'm going to try it. It's not that different than the visualization methods that a few TMS specialists and our own deal @BloodMoon suggest, but it's fast and sounds pretty fun, although it could be challenging at first start.
First, find somewhere pleasant or at least not unpleasant to be if you can - a comfy chair, or at work: a quiet office, remote corner and set your phone timer for a minute. Close your eyes and mentally list off (if you are alone, you can even talk these because hearing it is an extra bonus) as many things in your life you've enjoyed: hobbies, people, moments, pets, favorite colors, favorite foods, most loved activities - anything you enjoy or HAVE enjoyed (which is important) in your life. For people who might find a minute of stillness challenging, or find searching for enjoyable things tough right now you could try choosing 5 or 10 things and work up to a minute. When you are done the most important thing is to CONGRATULATE yourself on engaging - just participating in this activity. Do it a few times a week (or daily) and focus on anything enjoyable even if it's stuff on repeat. All you are doing is seeing if your brain can begin to switch the bias to regularly looking for more enjoyable or at least tolerable moments.
Stepping out of so much fear, frustration, intensity, negativity, self-victimization and stepping into a bit more light and power was one of the biggest TMS challenges for me to overcome. I'm going to try this and see if it helps some of my current fears (nothing to do with symptoms) in life and see if it helps me break through to a new level.
. I'm definitely going to join you in doing this.