If you're struggling with your TMS treatment…

For you others who seem to be getting frustrated with TMS “not working,” here are my suggestions. (Note: I posted this a response to a comment someone left on my other post. I thought it could be helpful for others, do I thought I’d repost for everyone to see)

1) Get out of your own head. This is hard but necessary, or we’d all drive ourselves mad, in some form or another. If you aren’t working during your TMS, I can only suggest you try what I’ve been trying. I will force no one and again, I’m not a doctor or a therapist. But I can promise this worked for me. Do your TMS. If you’re hungry after, eat something. If you’re tired, take a nap. But then find some way to be involved in someone else’s life. I volunteer 3×/week with the youth at an amazing nonprofit near me.

It might be visiting an elderly neighbor a couple times a week so they arent lonely. And talking to them about THEM. It mught be making extra portions when cooking and bringing some to a rommate or neighbor a few times a week. Maybe you attend church and they need help with varuous things throughout the week. If you have no idea, ask around. Idkwhat it is for you but the options are endless. Give yourself a break from yourself. Y’all all seem like amazing people but again, we all need sometime to get out of our own heads and NOT think about TMS.

2) Journal. There are so many ways to journal. Freewriting. Bullet journals. Prompts. Gratitude journaling. (There are other types as well.) Even if you just get out a notebook and scribble down every emotion you have regarding your diagnosis or treatment or whatever else, it will help. I will repeat again: I’m not a doctor or therapist but I know for myself and many others I personally know, journaling is definitely beneficial. For me, it is necessary.

I don’t make journaling fancy. I’m personally focus more on actually writing vs having my journal look pretty but never get used. I suppose you can make it fancy, but either way, the writing is what’s therapeutic. (Or I guess even drawing. Comics/cartoons/sketches can be a form of journaling as well.) I go through a lot of notebooks, so I just get half-sized notebooks from my local dollar store, and write as close to daily as I can get. My journal always listens and never talks.

There are other things, in sure, to focus on during TMS. I’m just listing and detailing the top 3 that have gotten me through 10 days of treatment so far. So without further ado, I bring you… (drumroll please):

3) Appreciate the small wins. I would absolutely love a miracle that would cure me forevrr of my PTSD. And while I go into most things hopeful and optimistic, I also know that I can’t expect instant and dramatic results right off the bat. Because if it doesn’t happen, I end up getting disappointed on a much larger scale, it seems.

I find that when I focus on little things, I add them up amd am able to see the full picture more clearly. I got diagnosed with PTSD 8 years ago. I would say the disorder started a couple years prior to gdtting it professionally diagnosed. Because of my PTSD, I get overstimulated very easily. I get bouts of deep depression shortly after the memories start flooding in. It got to the point where I was losing jobs left and right . I didnt cate much about my personal care. I just wore whatever scrubby clothes I had, three days worth of unwashed hair, probably didnt brush my teeth…I just didnt care. I motice small things that add up to ome big sign of progress:

I find myself putting on nice jeans and a decent top to go run errands. I have no desore to go overboard, but I enjoy doing my makeup most days. A few weeks ago, I was jusy like I deacribed above. It took the first 4 days for anything to happen. I enjoy getting outaide instead of isolating our of fear of having my PTSD triggered. I’m pretty introverted to begin with, so it has led to lots of isolation of my own doing. I have enjoyed meeting my mom amd dad for lunch on Easter and going to a movie with a friend, albeit at a less-packed time of day. But nonetheless. These little things also add up to one major sign of progress in another area.

That’s all I have for now. You don’t have to do all or any of these. But even before TMS, these were a huge help. During TMS, they are priceless. I hope at least one person gets help from something in this post.

Remember: You are not your diagnosis, nor does it own you.