The Physical Side of Mental Health

[generalbrivous_]

Hi everyone.

This is my first time using this service but I felt it was time to finally reach out so I can put my mind at ease. I am nearly 22 and living with Bipolar 1. It has been a recent diagnosis in the last few months and looking back at the last 10 years it really makes a lot sense and sums a lot of past emotion and action up.

I’m writing because today has been a particularly bad one. I am currently experiencing what I always experience after a bigger scale breakdown. The physical side effects. My brain and hands become tingly, I feel extremely numb or ‘hollow’, lethargic and pretty down. I am also going through some kind of congestion and will probably experience cold or flu like symptoms over the next week. This happens every time after a day like today.

Does anybody else experience this after a dip in their mental well-being? And how do you manage the physical side effects in a healthy way?

I’d love to hear about any experiences or about any coping strategies you may have that I might find useful. I am a very fidgety and ‘million mile an hour’ brain kind of person and I like to practice mindfulness in times like these so anything to help pull my mind and body back into sync would be helpful!

Sorry for the letter of a post,

B.

[PamelaR]

Hi B and warm welcome to our community

It's good you've found your way to our community. Thank you for sharing your story. You will find there are others too, who have similar issues to yourself. I have PTSD, anxiety and depression for 30 years or more I have taken a week or more off with - 'some sort of viral infection' that defies any real explanation by the doctors. Similar to you - my symptoms have been flu like, lethargic, down, brain and body not functioning properly. For years I blamed it on Ross River Virus. However, when the doctor's did blood tests - it showed nothing. At that time in my life, anxiety, depression and PTSD were never identified / diagnosed.

It's only now when I look back on my working career that I find the days/weeks I had off sick were mostly due to my mental health that affected me physically. I haven't looked into (e.g. asked my doctor anything yet) why this is the case. My thoughts are, it's been my body's way of coping with how I was feeling mentally - to stop me from doing things and rest! Which is what I needed.

So what did I do, well in those days I took time out and slept, curled up in bed and shut out the world. It helped me recharge my batteries so I could get up and go again. Now that I'm retired, my body still needs to shut itself away. I allow it to do that. The time for recovery is shorter. I think this is because I don't work any more and have the ongoing stresses of everyday work.

The body does come back in sync, it just needs time, rest and tender loving care. It's okay to take time out when your body needs it. It's telling you something that you may not want to listen to. If possible be kind to yourself and tell your body it's okay. Things will pass.

Just wondering, have you talked to anyone about how you feel?E.g. your doctor or a health professional? Talking with someone about it may help.

You're not alone B. Keep reaching out if and when you want to.

Kind regards

PamelaR

[Alexlisa]

Hi B

I also have Bipolar 1 and experience physical symptoms on bad days. It’s really hard to explain what it feels like, but I think of it as a kind of a shaking inside my body and my head races as though it’s taking millions of snapshots one after the another. It’s such an awful sensation and I’ve found it hard for anyone to understand. I think of it as ‘overload’, and sometimes it can go for days with me.

There’s a couple of things that I’ve found that help though. The most useful for me is to decrease stimuli. So, things like having low light, comfy clothes, quietness, etc. I also listen to music or watch tv shows that I’m familiar with, that ground me.

I also use a weighted blanket. You can get them online through therapy stores. I think the pressure on the body (kind of like a hug) helps reduce stress hormone release and the weight is also very grounding. If you don’t want to get one though you can see how you feel wrapped up tightly in a blanket. They do it for me sometimes when I’ve been in hospital.

I find these things really helpful. Mostly though I think it’s about creating a comfy space that triggers feelings of safety and security. It’s taken a long time for me to work out what works for me, and it’s definitely not a magic bullet. But it does help a bit.

Take care
Alexlisa