Does anyone have any tips for destressing and relaxing? I know it’s probably common sense, but I’m struggling to switch off at the moment and in turn Ive got a whacking great load of constant pain in my head face and neck.
Also any tips on how to approach this particular work situation: I work in sports tv and have been preparing for the Olympics so it’s pretty stressful. Then next week, I’m working at the Olympic park, in a building with no windows, and artificial lights , a 3hour daily commute including the tube and to say I’m nervous about how that will pan out is an understatement. I also have to drive a hire car through London on some days and transport VIPS to meet a on air deadline… If I fail and say I’m too dizzy, It will be horrendous as I’m directly working with important people from head office.
Im stressed out about the whole thing.
I know to eat as well as I can and try to sleep regular etc. And I increased my nort a few wks ago to try to get a boost.
But what else can I do?
Hells bells - sounds like a nightmare! Thought the Olympics were supposed to be fun tho from what we’re reading/hearing it’ll be a wonder if anyone manages to survive the weather, traffic holdups, etc.
I’d definitely be stocked up with valium to get through!
Barb
Hi Lou,
that sounds really tough! I have my fingers crossed for you. One thing I’ve used in the past, and I’m about to use again, is some bio-feedback software to help relax - sounds a bit fancy but all it really is is just a focused way to help you relax. Whereas meditation can be a bit ‘difficult’ and ‘dry’ for some, this kind of thing makes it a little more fun and provides visual feedback as to how relaxed you actually are. As an example, you may have to balance a set of stones, or make some kites fly, and so on…and the only way to make this happen is by relaxing - the more you relax the more the kites fly and the more the set of stones gets built, etc. Sounds really silly, but I got on quite well with it. I’m about to make a concerted effort to start using it again, each day. I’m in a relapse, and need all the help I can get!
I guess It’s the kind of thing you need to make space in your life for, in order to keep stress under control permanently or long term, etc. I’ve noticed that doing this kind of relaxation won’t help if you only do it for 5 mins here and there - I think it needs a bit of commitment, so that it permeates properly. Anyway, I can point you in the right direction if you’re interested (but don’t want to be seen to be pushing or advertising anything!). It was a psychologist who put me onto this bio-feedback type of software as a means to de-stress, several years ago.
Whatever you decide, I really hope it all goes OK. Wishing you all the best - try to stay relaxed!
Tony.
IMO I would focus less on destressing, as that may be impossible given your job and the Olympics, and more on just getting good sleep every night. I think that for me, when I was sick, not getting enough sleep was my biggest migraine trigger. I know that may not be enough, but trying to avoid stress in your current situation doesn’t seem very likely!
Having a similar work experience at the Super Bowl this year, I made it through by resting every minute I was not working and taking a little Clonazopan every afternoon…good luck. Also I would suggest you get tinted glasses for your building, lights kill me!
Tinted glasses might not be a bad idea if you don’t mind looking a tiny bit odd. Artificial light was a huge trigger for me and I was able to mitigate it a great deal with tinted sunglasses. Now, wearing tinted sunglasses indoors looked strange, but it was less strange than having me sicker than a dog!
Some people have had luck with rose-tinted glasses. I actually used green-tinted sunglasses. Rose-tinted glasses might be less obtrusive for your work. But this would only be if you know that artificial light is a big trigger for you.
I worked at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and it was a breeze, heaps of fun and not stressful at all.
For destressing more generally my neurologist gave me a bunch of hand outs for some very simple techniques. Breathing exercises, muscle clenching and relaxing etc. I think I sent the links to Scott so hopefully if he reads this he may be able to upload them. Or just Google ‘relaxation techniques’. You don’t need anything fancy. Meditation is good too.