Mango blast

My leg shaking, hand/arm tremors and hand tapping have been at their worse tonight. I had a hard time trying to type this post, but kept waiting & it's pausing/passing now.

Since I've opened myself to expressing and feeling emotions and releasing physical and emotional tension, this has been increasing. It doesn't happen when I'm busy at work. It's fairly new for me and started out as rare. It's now been happening several times a day. Usually minor and short lasting. It's been recently increasing a lot.

I've been allowing emotions and feelings to come. I don't know if the physical symptoms are related to this or maybe sensory overload. I've been having some sensory neurological issues that I'm working on with my doctor. I'll bring up the shaking/tremors with her at my next appt.

Has anyone else dealt with this? Overall I'm at peace and have been doing well, AFAIK.
More will be revealed.
Many days I feel very Zen and in the moment. Some days I feel a bit crazy, with negative, irrational feelings that go all over the place.

Found some info on clay therapy. I love clay. I can remember each time in my life I've played with or made something with it.

Trauma Healing at the Clay Field: A Sensorimotor Art Therapy Approach:Amazon:Kindle Store
The Heart of Healing - Clay Field® Therapy

Katchie

I saw my therapist today. We've opened up some old intimacy wounds I carry around and she gave me an exercise to try in the event anxiety is high. She said to sit in a chair with your arms on the chairs arms, feet flat on the floor, close your eyes and listen and identify 5 sounds, then think of 5 body parts you feel (arms resting on chair, feet in shoes, etc), then open your eyes and identify 5 things you see. Repeat the above with 4 of each, then repeat with 3 of each until you count down to 1. I hope that made sense. She called this a grounding exercise in the here and now.

She also told me to try breathing in for 5 counts, and releasing that breath for 5 counts repeating until I can feel my body relax.

I'm so sorry you're experiencing this. I have had terrible eye and lip twitching from the stress many times. I sometimes wonder if kerning myself awake isn't from anxiety. I hate it when that happens.
hugs

LifeRecovery

keeping-

Oh yes. I had different physical symptoms but they increased while I was first really starting to feel emotions.

My therapist helped me to deal with these, but I also did body work to help (like massage) with someone that I trusted and could tell what was going on.

I found that meditation (body scans) helped and I did something sometimes called EFT (emotional Freedom Technique) which also helped.

lillamy

KTF, I think it's completely normal (though frightening) to experience anxiety in your body when you take off the lid to where you've had your emotions cooped up for a long time.

I've dealt with bouts of anxiety that were fairly close to incapacitating at times over the last few years, and dealt with them with the type of exercises that Katchie and LifeRecovery mentioned.

For me, an important part was knowing that it wasn't dangerous. Because it feels dangerous, and it's a very frightening feeling. Being able to tell myself that "it's just a chemical reaction in your body; it will go away" was really helpful to me, too.

FireSprite

Ditto, I've used all of these techniques along with many others. (acupuncture, reiki, yoga, crystal therapy, etc.) I definitely had physical manifestations of emotional turmoil.

Acupuncture brought me the biggest results the fastest & it was greatly enhanced by utilizing all those other tools between appointments. My body was a WRECK, I was frustrated just trying to figure out what to fix first.

Florence

My T had me meditate daily by imagining a child version of myself, and holding and cuddling and loving her, telling her it would be okay, providing safety and comfort. It felt insane when she asked me to do it, but I did, and it works.

Mango blast

Thank you all very much! I love the suggestions. Please keep them coming. Many of them I've either used or intended to, but it's so easy to take something that works very well and then completely forget about doing it.

When the shaking first started I related it to references to trauma and the importance of not stopping the shaking or tembling. To let the body work it out naturally. And as I've started to release pass stresses and emotions, it's been happening more often.

Your suggestions are welcome and wonderful. I've already started implementing some of them and am looking for local help in other areas mentioned. I continually start going back to wanting to do this all on my own and then realize yet again that the answer is in connecting with others instead of withdrawing. I'm not meant to be alone in this.

LifeRecovery

Waking the Tiger:Healing Trauma by Peter Levine helped me.

Thumper

Admittedly I do not know much about dealing with chronic anxiety so my personal experience is limited. I do know that stress and anxiety can cause physical symptoms but based on my background the only thing that I have to add is that if a new physical symptom appears it is, IMO, always smart to get that checked out by an MD to rule out physical causes. When you say doctor I wasn't sure if you meant therapist or a doctor that could also assess physical causes for the symptoms - maybe you already have that covered.

freetosmile

I can't say enough how important breathing is during these times. Find your breath and just focus on it.

I envision a river with a little tiny boat by the shore. I envision myself physically putting my "worries" or stresses in the boat...then I watch it float away.

Also, I am NOT giving medical advice and blah blah...BUT start journaling your symptoms. Jot down what time of day they happen, what was the precipiating event, how long did it last, what made it better, what made it worse, and were there any other symptoms associated with it (numbness, tingling, lightheadedness, heart palpitations, etc).

This helps me anyway. Being "aware" is half the battle. Plus, if you DO notice any other strange symptoms with it- you can take that list to the doctors with you.

hugs.

FireSprite

I did the inner child exercise based on Florence's shares about it here at SR & it was a great experience for me too. I think I had to be ready for that point in recovery for it to be really effective.

Here is a great meditation that I've been doing by Louise Hay (thank you Honeypig for introducing me, lol).... it is meant to help heal your mind, body & spirit. I have been trying to listen to it every day at least once.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbdB2ss1YLs

Mango blast

Tying the loose threads together. I didn't take my vitamins & supplements at all last week, and have been taking them sporadically for much too long. And I had small amounts of gluten several times last week.

After reading about Celiac and anxiety, maybe this is related also. The exercises are helping a lot. Calling tomorrow to make another appointment with my doctor.

Rosalba

You ask if having the shakes and all the other symptoms you describe is par for the course as you recover... Yep, it certainly is!

It just means that all the stuff that's been buried for years is bubbling up to the surface, where it can finally be released for good. It's very alarming when you don't understand what's going on; physical pain as chronically tensed muscles start to relax is part of the process, too.

I recall going to a therapist and complaining that I was shaking and aching all over and he nodded and said: "All sounds very healthy to me!"

Others on here have suggested things like massage; other soothing techniques are a good idea, too.

(((HUGS))) and good luck with all this!

P.S. It DOES pass...!

pinkpeony

Interesting that you posted about the clay therapy!

I have really really been wanting to make my next hobby clay/pottery making! I want to take classes on building by hand and learning to use the pottery wheel.
I can see how it would be very therapeutic.

Have you tried essential oils at all?

Look up Frankincense and how it's been used for like a million years (lol) for emotional distress.

I've developed horrible anxiety and now panic attacks.
I use essential oils for a whole lot of different things and my emotional health is one of them.

There are many essential oils in single and in blends that are terrific for depression and anxiety, ect.

Lately I've been diffusing Frankincense at my computer desk and also when I feel a panic attack coming on, one drop under the tongue and one drop pressed to roof of mouth along with breathing in the diffusing oil stops my panic attacks and anxiety in it's tracks!

One more thing, if you do venture into trying essential oils, please buy from an experienced and reputable company in order to receive 100% pure therapeutic oils.
The FDA allows inferior oils to be labeled as 100% pure and all natural if they contain only 5% pure oil, the rest can be synthetic fillers :/