Pages

Welcome to my blog!

I am Buffy, I live in Iowa with my kitty cat Meowshine and stay rather busy trying to be healthy, eating right, working out, working my full-time job and running my own custom jewelry business on the side. Thanks for coming along for the ride :)



Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Worry, worry, worry

I’ve been thinking lately about how high strung I am. I worry about everything and while I know I could be worse, I could be a lot better about it. I’ve really tried to be more laid back but it’s hard to change the core of who you are. I mean I didn’t used to be so high strung but I’ve always been cautious and responsible and the voice of reason. I mean I’ve done things I shouldn’t in my life but I’m usually a responsible person. Not that that is all bad but worrying and over thinking for the sake of worrying and over thinking is craziness and I’m going to give myself an ulcer. It helps that the boyfriend is laid back and can remind me when I start on my tailspin. We were going to visit my brother this Saturday and he invited us to go out with him and his girlfriend which is great but I had made other plans. Trying to be everything to everyone (which is another of my flaws) I start trying to figure it all out, getting frustrated because I don’t have all the information (like where, when, what exactly he had in mind) and my mind starts to spin. I try and voice my tail spin but it only comes out in short, cut off sentences. “But what are we suppose…” I trail off “What am I supposed to tell…” “Why doesn’t he…” My mind is racing. The BF then says “I don’t see why you are getting all upset about this”. I’ve heard this before. From my best friend (who is by all accounts my therapist) and I stop what I’m saying. It’s still going on in my mind but obviously verbalizing it is only making him uncomfortable and why do that. I continue to drive, I hear the thoughts in my head, I try to breath and focus and I drive. After a while he notices my silence (probably because of my crazy non-sentences that had been rattled off before) and grabs my hand. “What’s wrong” he asks. “Nothing”. “What’s wrong, tell me” “Nothing, I love you” "I love you too, what is wrong?" He looks at me and I remember what is really important and that this unnecessary worry will sort itself out. I hear how silly I am being and how I don't even want to explain how the crazy train (my brain) is going. He has a way with me like that though. He calms me, centers me, makes me see what is important and what isn’t. He’s great like that. So I have been thinking a lot about that. How wound up I get, how silly it is to waste my energy that way, and how I can stop. I know it is going to be difficult but I know I can do whatever I put my mind to. Plus I have this wonderful reminder constantly telling me to calm down and breath. He is a beautiful reminder. So any suggestions on how to stop a tailspin? Go to my happy place and think of puppies and kittens? I need help because I’ve felt so crazy overwhelmed with all the things going on in my life and over thinking them to death. I’m finishing my internship in the next month and a half, I’m looking for jobs, I have a sick kitty, I’m trying to spread my time with people that matter most and I feel pulled in a million directions (welcome to the real world, right?). So any suggestions would be great. Maybe I should take up meditation or try to get back into yoga (as my wrist allows). Or maybe take up Tae Bo again and get some of that energy out that way. This is my life and I don’t want to worry it away...

3 comments:

  1. Sistah, if you figure that out, pass it on to me!! I totally had this conversation with the Mr after a family member heaped a bunch of crap on me the day before the Mr's party (the busiest day I was going to have, needing the most of my undivided attention!) I sat there in the car babbling and going off while he agreed. Then it would get quiet for 3 minutes and I'd start up again..."I mean, I don't understand why...*insert Charlie Brown teacher noise*" or "she just makes me so...*wah wah wah wahhhhh*." I could tell he was getting annoyed but wanted to listen to support me. I said "I wish I could change why I'm a dweller and why the littlest things set me off. It sucks. I want someone to erase whatever it is that happened to me as a kid that made me this way!" He claims I can re-train myself.

    I think I just need to think of what is the worst than can happen and decide if I give a crap. Most of the time the worst case scenario isn't as bad as I fly off the handle about to begin with. I hope that helps me because I told him I want to be a happier person for him because I'm getting too friggin' old to care about what other people think. HA! I don't know if that was more "here's what I would do" or to let you know someone empathizes but there you go.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Negative thoughts are like bubbles that start connecting and filling up my head. Once you start thinking them, they just build and I spiral down into anxiety and panic mode. I have to usually write down some positive reinforcing statements and either read them again when I'm struggling or call my one friend who can talk to me about it in a positive way and calm me down. She'll usually ask me "Ok, what's the worse that could happen?" and then repeats it as I continue to go down the list. The point of it is to show me that if something I fear does happen, it's not the end of the world. I have picked up and moved on and I will continue to do so.

    I know for me worrying and having plans changed on me causes a lot of anxiety. A lot of it is control issues...I take comfort in knowing I have a plan, and if it changes, then I don't have control and it's scary to me. Probably because of past instances where I didn't have any control...it bleeds over even into the smallest of situations.

    I know sometimes actually voicing my frustrations and concerns with someone helps me from repeating it in my head silently and making it worse. I have to make sure it is a person who is a positive support, like my best friend or B, and not someone who's just going to tell me to get over it. That just makes me less likely to communicate and feel defensive. Sometimes we just needs someone to break the broken record going on in our minds.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think a positive support is really important. They can kindly tell you you're spiraling and help you refocus. But so often I keep it in and maybe voicing it more would help.

      I really like the point that 'what's the worst that can happen?' I mean when you have been through hell and thrived in spite of it, why do you think you can't conquer this small (in the scheme of things) task. Puts it into perspective

      Delete