This recording is for you to listen to when you're experiencing difficult acute symptoms.
This might be during a day when your symptoms are worse than usual and you're feeling frustrated
and down.
First and foremost,
I'm here with you.
Although each of us is unique and no one
has experienced the exact same symptoms that you're experiencing,
I've been in a similar
position.
I'm also someone who lives with chronic dizziness,
And I want to walk you
through some mindset shifts,
Some things to tell yourself during difficult periods.
And these are some things that have helped me personally.
Remember,
Millions of other
people have experienced these symptoms too,
Although I know it can feel very isolating
and lonely.
I've been down the rabbit hole of difficult symptoms,
Negative thoughts that
come along with that.
So let me walk you through what to do from a cognitive behavioral perspective.
I know when you're in the throes of dizziness,
Vertigo,
Brain fog,
Nausea,
Tinnitus,
Or whatever
it looks like for you,
You might just have to lie down and rest.
And I hope I can help
comfort you through it.
First and foremost,
Let's do some diaphragmatic breaths together.
So this is belly breathing.
So you can put one hand on your belly,
One hand on your chest,
And try to breathe so that your belly is expanding and your chest is staying flat.
I want you to breathe in through your nose and out through your nose.
And I want your
exhale to be longer than your inhale.
So we don't need to do any specific numbers,
But
find a cadence that feels comfortable for you.
So let's do five breaths together.
So
inhale for one,
And exhale.
Inhale two,
And exhale.
Inhale three,
And exhale.
Inhale four,
And exhale.
Inhale five,
And exhale.
Next,
Let's focus all of our attention on the touch
sensation of our body.
This is also called proprioception.
So for me,
One of the most
helpful things to do is to place all of my attention on the weight of my body on the
surface where I'm lying.
So this might be on the floor,
On a couch,
Or a bed.
Sometimes
it can help to increase that touch sensation by sitting on something hard like the floor
and leaning against a wall.
You might also play with temperature.
So if your body needs
a bit more touch input,
You might splash your face with cold water.
You might put an
ice pack on your neck,
Something that's able to draw your attention to it.
You can also
play with touch sensation like your hands resting on another part of your body,
Your
feet on the ground,
Your arms on the armrest of the chair,
Whatever feels comfortable for
you and allows you to truly focus all of your attention on something that feels tangible,
Something that feels grounded,
Still,
Or at the very least neutral.
If it's difficult
to be still and find anything that feels grounded,
You can use touch sensation like light scratching
of your arm,
Tracing your fingertips up and down your legs,
Something that allows you
to focus your attention if it's difficult for you to just sit still.
So let's attack
some of those swirling thoughts.
Let me remind you that symptoms ebb and flow.
Attacks don't
last forever and this one won't either.
So whatever you're missing in this moment because
you had to rest,
Maybe it's work,
Maybe it's playing with a child.
It's done.
It's in the
past.
Guilt doesn't serve us.
This is not your fault and you didn't choose this.
So take a deep
breath in and pause and push all of those feelings of guilt out through your nose as you exhale.
Take another inhale,
Pause,
Allow the guilt to exit as you exhale.
If you feel any sensations
buzzing through your body,
Tightness in your chest,
You can even shake that out.
Literally
shake it out,
Shake it out of your core,
Shake it out with your arms.
There's nowhere else you
should be.
So let's get rid of those shoulds and accept we're here now.
We're going to nurture
and care for ourselves the best we can through the dizziness exacerbation.
Maybe you've had a
few rough days or a few rough weeks.
Let me remind you,
This does not mean you will be in this state
forever.
Our bodies are constantly changing,
Renewing,
Evolving.
Remember that we have billions
of neurons.
You don't have to start today,
But little by little over time,
Your changes in
behavior will help you to heal and rewire your brain.
So let's move away from the always and
language.
Most things in life fall in the middle.
They fall in the gray area and this is no
different.
So because this happened today does not mean it's going to happen tomorrow or next
week or the next time you're doing the activity that caused this flare.
Does not mean you're
going to be stuck in this forever.
So continue to breathe in and out through your nose.
Continue
to focus your attention on proprioception or that touch sensation of your body.
Whatever you
have chosen to do,
Whether it's on the floor or a chair or a bed or through,
Um,
Heat or cold,
You might even take a few moments to come up with a mantra or something you can tell yourself
during these difficult times.
Something like this will pass.
Progress is not linear,
Or I can
experience symptoms and still be healing.
So healing and symptoms are not mutually exclusive.
Tell yourself that over and over,
Breathe in,
Repeat your mantra and breathe out.
You might
be feeling broken or angry at your body.
That's okay.
Feel through that.
No feelings are off
limits.
Anger and compassion can live in the same space.
And remember your heart is beating,
You're breathing.
Though this is a difficult moment,
There is a lot going right with your
body too.
So let's focus attention on something positive.
This might be something you're grateful
for on an ongoing basis,
Family support,
A comfortable home,
Something good that happened
the past few days.
Maybe you cooked a special meal or celebrated a birthday or a holiday.
Continue to breathe in and out.
Focus on your breath and your body during periods of silence.
Finally,
Let's focus on something serene.
For me,
This would be a beach with calm,
Pristine,
Clear blue water and warm white sand.
For someone else,
It might be a forest or a warm
bath or sitting by a fire.
Soak it in.
Soak it in with all five senses.
What does it feel like?
What does that touch sensation feel like?
What do you see?
What do you see through your mind's
eye?
Not with your eyes necessarily,
But as you're visualizing.
What do you smell?
What
do you taste?
And what do you hear?
Allow your nervous system to calm as you rest in this
visualization.
And remember,
This will pass.
This is temporary.
This is not something you
need to figure out the answer to today,
Tomorrow or next week.
Healing is a process and you're on
your own healing journey.
I'm sending you light and love and wishing you all the best.
