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Shift

Shift

Left to right
Forward and back
Dark to bright
Run to tack

There are many ways to go
And I must change
Do not go with the flow
I must turn the page

Leave Jackson
Do not be shocked
Viking or saxon
Not land locked

A new journey
Sailing away
Leaving absurdity
A new sunset everyday

My intent
My want
My plan
My desire

At sixty not too late
To transition
A new journey and fate
A grand ambition

But wait
Who is this girl
That I went on a date
Her hair has so much curl

I am smitten
By her beauty and enthusiasm
Maybe sailing is not written
She has to be an addendum

My plan b has crumpled
Moving to plan c
My arrogance humbled
I now can see

I want her in my life
And she makes me laugh
With no crazy strife
I want to be her better half

In this moment
In this time
In this minute
In this space

I will pursue her
Wanting to know if she is real
Not some imaginary blur
And my feelings are real

Sailing will be there
But I can not let this pass
I am chasing that wild hair
And this charming lass

There is so much opportunity
There is so much promise
There is so much compassion
There is so much expectation

Go all in
Do not miss the chance
I can only laugh and grin
A sailboat can not kiss or dance

The Drug

The Drug
 
Amitriptyline
Is my drug
Not really crystalline
I think like a slug
 
So very very dragging
So very very hampered
So very very lagging
So very very hammered
 
I can not think
I can not write
I can not read
I can not understand
 
I can walk
I can talk
I can exercise
I can drive
 
A trade off
Lose the crazy woes
Do not unbelieve or scoff
Or live in the shadows
 
Easier to be alone
Easier to hideaway
Easier to be my own
Easier to live that way
 
Live in solitary
Or to fight the darkness
I am my adversary
What a starkness
 
To live in society
Amitriptyline is required
To end anxiety
A new life is desired
 
Slow with limited derailments
Sleep too much
Drugged but no aliments
Amitriptyline is a crutch
 
Last time 10 mg
Then 20 and 30 mg
Then 40 to 70 mg
All the way to 80 mg
 
In the end
It began shirking
No more dividends
And it quit working
 
Better for awhile
To have some assistance
A pleasant smile
And a healthy existence

Checklist

Checklist
 
I have had one forever
Once it is on the list
A grand endeavor
Not to be missed
 
Get it done
Can be transposable
Not always fun
Quick as possible
 
Which one first
Which one second
Which one makes a difference
Which one is important
 
From A1 to C1
A ranking tactic
Works in the long run
Way too didactic
 
How did I get consumed
By this need to check it off
Too much to do I assumed
Me and my mighty trough
 
A trough of obsession
A trough of greed
A trough of pride
A trough of ambition
 
But where am I now
Chasing a disorder
Nothing but a sow
Who is out of order
 
I must throw the list away
Does not matter to me
Who cares if I stray
And become carefree
 
I have been told
Does it matter
In the past it was gold
Today dung splatter
 
I have changed
To get relief
Not to be deranged
But to reduce my grief
 
Go away systematic rules
To accomplish tasks
These are just tools
Anxiety and depression masks
 
Masks of fatigue
Masks of rages
Masks of technique
Masks of past ages
 
Take mine down
Get rid of it
I want to stay around
And keep my wit

Over Stimulation

Over Stimulation

I heard this word a bunch with Dr. Andrews. I knew what it meant, but I needed to make sure that I understood what Dr. Andrews was talking about in regards to my disorder – Functional Neurological Disorder (FND).

According to the Learners Dictionary, over stimulation is to cause (someone or something) to become too active or excited: to stimulate (someone or something) too much.

What was overstimulating for me? Really, there are so many things which can cause me to get active or excited:

  • Pretty Girl (Smart Girl)
  • Smart Girl’s child
  • Playing with children
  • Laughter
  • My kids
  • Good book
  • Bicycling
  • Yoga
  • Playing in pool
  • Going to beach
  • Good sermon
  • Share the gospel
  • Checklist
  • Meet new people
  • Concerts
  • Yardwork
  • Work
  • Running a business
  • Accomplishment
  • Life
  • Travel

The list can go on and on, but the definition mentions “too” or “too much.” Do all these things over stimulate me?

I have always been excitable and active. I could handle many things at one time. I could juggle many activities. I liked to move, to do, to progress, to succeed, and to accomplish. I had a checklist, and I wanted to check things off my list. I felt  good when I make that checkmark

Once again, checking a checklist is not going to make me so overstimulated that I can not function, or I lose control. Or can it?

According to Dr. Andrews, it is not the checklist; it is the activities or the consequences of overdoing the activities. If I do too much, then it can overstimulate me and shut me down, especially if I am fatigued or experiencing slight episodes of the disorder. My triggers can activate, and they can be much worse.

What triggers FND?

  • Fatigue
  • Stress
  • Complicated problems
  • Doing too many things at one time
  • Work to long
  • Work too hard
  • Unreal expectations
  • Unsolvable problems
  • Irritants
  • Controversy
  • Pain
  • Illness
  • Disagreements
  • Arguments

What over stimulants trigger me?

  • Sunlight
  • Pain
  • Disagreements
  • Complicated Instructions
  • Tired
  • Stress – mental, physical, emotional
  • Negotiations
  • Complicated and long verbal conversations
  • Long-drawn out stories
  • Overindulge in exercise or work
  • Unnecessary questions
  • Lies
  • Selective memories
  • Illogical jibberish

How do you live in society if these things overstimulate you where you shut down or go into a rage?

  • Learn triggers
  • Reduce triggers
  • Avoid triggers
  • Simplify life
  • Get plenty of sleep
  • Stop doing too much
  • Learn how to rest triggers
  • Quit judging
  • Learn CBT
  • Learn DBT
  • Be grateful
  • Get back on Amitriptyline which has worked the best over last six years

Yes, I think some of what I write is redundant. I need to get a better grip on what is happening to me and how I need to proceed.

Does anyone know who teaches Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)? West Tennessee, Memphis, or Nashville?