Does any one have any ideas on how to relax and switch off.
I've had a crazy year and a half! I left DV which resulted in him keeping the house as it was his. An avo and MANY court hearings which are still going on. I lost my best friend in a big blue. Im a new single mum to a 8 month old son now left when I was pregnant. My mum and I don't speak any more we just don't get along full stop so she kicked me out so I've been moving from place to place every couple of months. My family is religious too so I'm not well liked for being a single mum either. I ended up becoming homeless so I turned to my dad who i haven't spoken to in many years. Since I was a kid. I thought he had forgotten about me that's what my mum and her family use to say but I and them were so wrong he has been amazing took us in couldn't believe he was a grand dad and has helped us out in every single way. But he lives interstate so now there's the custody problem but have a lawyer etc. Its never ending HA. I just don't know how to switch off. And now I'm starting to loose my milk and weight because of all the stress so I'm putting all my energy in to trying to increase my supply because breastfeeding is so important to me (long story) which isn't working.
I'm always on guard I suffer PTSD and I can't sleep at night because of it. Is there any thing I can try to sleep any herbs or vitamin etc. I have tried meditation but that doesn't work cause I can't shut my thoughts off. I just cant! I have a psychologist. I'm breastfeeding so I can't take any thing. I'm just SO over tired. I'm so drained mentally, physically, emotionally, financially. I'm at my ends wits and raising a baby on my own is exhausting in its self.
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3 Replies
there are a number of therapies which can help including cognitive behaviour therapy EMDR Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing...basically therapies for PTSD......
passion flower tea does help sleep but don't use it if you have a history of psychosis, you will be able to be woken after drinking it unlike using sedatives
You could try going for a walk/run. While you are out (even with bub in a pram) concentrate on the 'thinking' being about what is here and now - the weather, the road surface, the bird song, the view. How you are breathing, how your legs feel... It's a step to slowing down the thoughts. Don't try and stop thinking, just change the thoughts for that half hour or so every day. It's worth a try :/
The best thing I have tried to help me sleep is a tea called Celestial sleepy tea, it has a picture of a bear in a night gown on the box. You can get it in Coles. I'll have a cup of that and also some vitamins for sleep, I'm taking a Nature's Own one at the moment. I used to have a crap sleep every night and constantly have dreams all night long and then wake up after every one. Now I sleep through the night and very rarely dream.
Also if you have an iphone there are a lot of good sleep and relaxation apps that I find helpful. Exercise is also helpful for, just taking a walk is the best thing.