Thought it would be fun to start a thread of all quirky lifestyle things we do to cope better or assist ourselves in our daily lives.
Iāll start with things that help me sleep!
sleep with a timex watch on with indiglo so I donāt have to roll over to seee the time in bed.
sleep with a travel pillow wrapped around my head (not neck) to prevent myself from rolling over, also feels nice to have my ears covered and warm.
roll up a towel under my pillow for extra āloftā.
My poor husband when he goes to make the bed is baffled by all my contraptions
I sleep in an eye mask. Sometimes I use earplugs. In the smoke season I also have a filter mask for my mouth and nose. Itās ridiculous, I know. I also sleep on a special contour pillow for my neck.
Sleep on 3 pillows in a V stack (one then two). First is under my back to reduce neck bend.
try to keep bending down to minimum so actually stand on one leg to tie the other shoelace (impressed I hope?). Unfortunately because of the angle this often leads to the shoe being tied on the inside edge not the middle.
I bend down funny to keep my head as far up as possible when trying to pick stuff up from floor.
(Btw this forum supports Markdown. To enter a bullet point type ā* spaceā on a new line.)
@flutters, I forgot to mention that I also use a sleep mask. Itās called a sleep whale and again, covers my ears which is nice and doesnāt cut into my head like others ive tried.
@turnitaround, James I am indeed impressed with your show tying ability! I Place my shoes on the bed, sit on the edge and put them on. No head titling for me either!
My sleep wedge is also another thing I forgot to mention in my collection of contraptions my husband has to work around
I keep a list of my values written on my phone. Iāve thought a lot about these values and I genuinely believe they are true to me. When Iām feeling terrible I look through the list on my phone and think about my values, and then try to take some kind of action which is in line with my values.
My current values are:
Family - Making the lives of my family better than if I wasnāt around. Being a good role model for my children and my partner, and doing what I can to make them happier Honesty - With other people but primarily with myself. Not lying to myself. This is the value of mine I struggle with the most. I think I have a tendency to instinctively protect my ego or attempt to placate other people, whereas I should instead be vulnerable and combative if necessary Courage - Not a lack of anxiety or fear, but rather doing things despite being scared Meaning - Engaging in activities and living my life in such a way that I experience feelings of meaning, even if I canāt objectively argue why these experiences are meaningful. For example growing my career, increasing my fitness, spending time with people I care about, challenging myself intellectually, and pushing myself to face hardship Responsibility - Not allowing myself to have self-pitying beliefs or identify as a victim. Recognising when things are my fault, or when I have control over situations. Being a grownup and not allowing myself to use my suffering as an excuse. Recognising my failures, but also not being too hard on myself for not being perfect.
Reflecting on my values and taking action in line with those values often leaves me feeling less depressed and/or anxious.
Another thing I do is meditate mentally on the meaning of the word acceptance. I tell myself repeatedly āIām willing to feel scared. Iām willing to feel anxious. Iām willing to feel depressed. Iām willing to experience this vertigo and not try to fight it. Iām willing to go out in public and accept whatever happens. Iām willing to feel these difficult thoughts. Iām willing to be vulnerableā¦ etc, etc.ā
I find these two techniques are a powerful way to deal with what I call the āvertigo-induced existential crisisā. It generally occurs when Iām out in public and a strong wave of vertigo hits me. Suddenly everything looks weird like Iām in a dream, and thoughts about the nature of reality start to pop into my head. If I engage with the thoughts too much itās easy to end up feeling extremely anxious. Itās weird that vertigo can make me question my place in the universe so intensely, thereās so many assumptions about reality you take for granted until the world suddenly starts moving around you.
I have a blanket which I wrap on the sides of my head to keep it from tipping to the side.
Stacks of pillows by my bedside to raise my head when sleeping.
I have a small blanket, pillow and ice packs in my bathroom to comfort me through vertigo attacks.
Always sleep in full underwear and presentable pajamas I wouldnāt be embarrassed to be at the hospital in, in case the vertigo doesnāt stop Hahaha!
I try to do one walk in the sun helps with my Vitamin D3 and Melatonin secretion.
I knead and massage my neck trigger points every 2 days once or else it can become a source of migraines
I exercise and lift weights when i can and it is immensely helpful. As a man i think it helps with testosterone secretion and cortisol regulation both helpful for migraine
I have 3 different schedules 1)good day, 2)ok day and 3)shitty day. I donāt expense energy thinking what i need to do and fallback to the schedule depending on the how i feel. Shitty days are usually in a survival mode where i fake it, till i make it.
Tennis against a practice wall(this is an ultimate form of VRT). As winter is coming i donāt do this very often
. Joeyās seeking balance/ rock steady program is basically this.