Triggers again and again

Time2be

Time2be

Well known member
First of all I wish all of you a wonderful New Year! My year started very good, no pain, not always in the best mood, but ok. I went swimming today, together with a friend. She always swims 1500 meter and then she goes to the sauna. So she has a routine. And I went into the whirlpool just do keep me warm between swimming and sauna. The minute I was in the whirlpool I started to have bladder irritation and then all my knowledge about bacteria in the whirlpool started to pop up in my head. And now I am here at home and have bladder pain. So stupid. But how to get around this ... how to stop these triggers? I didn’t jump out of the water, I stayed, tried to be unimpressed by the anxiety that started. But now at home I start to feel trapped, again. I have become much better with the other triggers, like food and even some emotional situations. But this really caught my out of the blue.
My post here is in a way part of getting more conscious of what is going on. One part of it is that I am angry with my friend, she has her routine and I have to wait until she is finished to swim and then until she finished the sauna. Next time I tell her that everyone should do things in her own pace and we wait for each other at the cafe outside of the swimming hall. The trigger is clearly the whirlpool/hot tub. The minute I saw people in the whirlpool I thought of all the infections I have read about. And then it starts ...
I guess this process of triggering is familiar to most of you. How do you get over it? Or better, how to get rid of triggers?
 
I forgot to mention that a new crown on a front tooth is also disturbing me. The tooth is irritable, reacting to cold and hot and also on touch. This is going on since one and a half month. I am not sure if this is TMS...and I decided to just wait and see, ignoring the irritation and hope it will go away. I really hope, I hate going to the dentist.
 
Time2be, I sympathize! And empathize!

Here is where I often take advantage of the placebo effect - which I think is a very powerful tool. I was really excited a few years ago when I read that researchers are seriously studying the placebo effect, wanting to know if it can be harnessed and used effectively. Because here's the thing: people in placebo studies experienced positive results even when they KNEW that they had received the placebo. In other words, by simply visualizing the healing effect that was desired, they experienced the same results as the individuals receiving the treatment - again EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE TOLD THEY RECEIVED THE PLACEBO.

There's a thread about one of these studies from a while ago - I'll try to find it.

Anyway, the thing is that I have self-treated myself all my life, and looking back, I believe that I was simply strengthening my own immune system from within. I didn't realize why until I started doing this work. Dr. Sarno's theories, followed by Dr. Gabor Mate's theories in When The Body Says No, totally made sense to me.

So if I was having your particular experience, what I would do is take a Vitamin C before going to the pool/spa, because I believe that Vitamin C boosts my immune system, and it's also a bit protective of the bladder. Just 500mg, not even a super-dose. And I would also be sure to drink plenty of extra water before and after. And as I do these things, I would visualize my bladder remaining infection-free.

Give it a try - because I believe that WE are in charge of the health of our immune systems.

~Jan
 
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Thanks Jan! That’s a good idea to believe in the strength of your health system. And also a good idea to boost the immune system. I drank quite a lot today. I even considered to take just one antibiotic to be on the safe side.
I know some research on placebo, in my case it is more nocebo - a harmful effect, though not by medicine but my own thoughts.
In reality I cannot have felt a bladder infection (or clamydia etc.) as soon as I was in the water, that’s nonsense. First the next day ( or some days later) you would feel it. I need to think reasonable here and tell myself that this is the fearful part of my brain that is creating this. The reason why is important to find out ...
So, no antibiotics!
 
And thanks for the article!!
I just read the article, very encouraging and it opens for many good questions. One of the main questions is: does placebo work only on the level of subjectively felt positive effects or also on the level of objective effects? In the study on asthma is seems only effective on the subjective level. Which would be fine for TMS ... but not so good for asthma ...
 
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Yes Jan, the distinction between non-TMS and TMS diseases can be blurry. And there is a psychological dimension in most diseases, at least in the way you cope with it.

Yesterdays experience with the hot tub was a good example for conditioning. The hot tub was a trigger, but underlying there is a general tension about a piece of work that I am struggling with. And I was angry with my friend and with me, because I urged myself to go swimming (so healthy!!), but actually I didn't want to.

there is one thing I am (also) struggling with: radical changes. I had some pretty radical changes in my life, but only when they come naturally - that is they seemed to be the right thing to do. One change was for example to move to Denmark for a job (and now I live here since 16 years), the other was to leave my ex-husband (not the slightest regret, never). But some people tell about radical changes that turned the whole life up side down and that this was necessary to get to the truth of themselves. It seems that I am a very conservative and overcautious person. When it comes to big life decisions I need this absolute evidence that comes with good reasons but also with this feeling that this is the right thing for me. It feels like it is difficult for me to take a leap into the uncertain. Well, I am rambling here ... it is more this question: are radical changes necessary to heal? Do I miss something or is my healing more about applying all I know to my everyday life in all these situation that occur (like the whirlpool)? It's a bit like I am waiting for this epiphany and then everything comes naturally ....
 
Thanks Jan! feel like radical change is demanded, again an ought and a should that are not my own. I will find out which changes are necessary and helpful. To live life lighter would be great!
 
Hi time2be,

Once i said to a therapist , i have a huge problem making Decisions’ i am scared to make the wrong one and if i do this ‘ maybe i will never know the other one was better etc etc .
He told me ; Yes you want all the answers up front , but then you would miss out a lot of the mystery of life wouldn’t you ? So when it comes to choosing the biggest part is : do it ! Make the choice. Follow your feelings and if it turns out to be a bad one : just accept that. There is no one to blame , not even yourself because you picked as good as you could’ This strange and down to Earth explenation comes back to me sometimes . .i don’t think radical changes are needed : just in the way of thinking!
 
Thanks KarinaBrown! I think I understand. To be perfectionist regarding ones decisions is not a good idea :)
I think I need to explain that before I made decisions easily and I felt I was following my inner radar, but it turned out that these were just pleasing decisions. I did what felt comfortable because I thought other would approve. Since some years now I am in the process giving myself more inner space to find out what would be the right thing to do. Maybe there is a difference whether I want to achieve the best thing to do (how to evaluate that???) and the right thing to do. I don't seem to trust my inner radar - or let's say I train my intuition ...
 
Hi time2be,

I wonder if you don’t trust your inner radar ‘ or you are afraid of what happens if you listen to it ?
From personal experience : following ‘my radar ‘ brings also things as ‘for example : less money ‘ not knowing what the future brings etc , choose for me and not others : stuff that makes me nervous : and i do not like being nervous because i want to be in control etc.
Its about trusting the unknown and having the faith that i am good enough ,
Have the skills to deal with whatever will come.
do you understand what i mean ?
 
I think I understand. I also thought about it. I thought a lot about this problem. Uncertainty is not always bad, it depends on ... I learn to be more fond of uncertainties, in my work (asking questions I didn’t dare to ask before) and in my private life. The skills to deal with whatever will come? In a way there is no alternative. It depends on what to deal means. To fail is also part of being human, it is important to survive failure, to learn from it.
 
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